


The Legend of Zelda: The Hollow Knight

by ZR_Stein



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alien Culture, Crossover, Diplomacy, Gen, ISOT, Interspecies Romance, Politics, Rebuilding Hallownest, Rebuilding Hyrule, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 40,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZR_Stein/pseuds/ZR_Stein
Summary: Two ruined kingdoms.Two silent knights.Two newly appointed queens.One single moment that broke the boundaries between their worlds and united them.A very long road to regain what was lost.A Hallownest ISOT fic, wherein Tarrey town gains some new, very odd neighbors, and everything that follows.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 186
Kudos: 346





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by other Hollow Knight ISOTs like Wolflord's "Journey of Wyrms and Gods" and Animapower's "Dreams of Gods and Colors, Children". If you want to read about Hallownest on Remnant or on Earth Bet, those are both great fics.

FIE! O DARKNESS! O EMPTINESS! I WILL NOT FALL TO MY ANCIENT FOE ON THIS DAY!

The Vessel did not respond. It hadn’t since the fight began. Perhaps it couldn’t.

The Radiance raged. She screamed. She threw everything she had against the tiny Void being. Nothing worked. The Vessel continued its assault, as implacable as ever, swinging its nail in precise stokes and avoiding all of her attacks with ease.

Even when she took to the sky to bombard the battlefield from afar, it followed, borne aloft on silvery wings and bounding off of platforms that reeked of foreign gods. Curse them, whomever they were, once she had dealt with this interloper she would find their planes and smite them herself! How dare they help her eternal enemy!

That distracting thought very nearly took one of her wings, the Vessel’s nail grazing along the edge of her hindwing as she dodged. The pain served to refocus her, and she resumed the fight in earnest. Vengeance could come later.

I WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN!

. . .

RAARGH! HERO! I DEFEATED YOU ONCE BEFORE IN THIS ERA, I WILL DO IT AGAIN!

The Hero did not respond. He hadn’t since the fight began, and Ganon knew he couldn’t.

Ganon roared. He writhed. He threw everything he had against the insignificant Hylian. Nothing worked. The Hero continued his assault, as implacable as ever, swinging the Master Sword in precise strokes and avoiding all of his attacks with ease.

Even when he took to the fields of Hyrule and transformed into his Dark Beast form, the Hero followed, the thrice cursed Bow of Light in his hands. This iteration of Princess Zelda had been more of a thorn in his side than any he could remember, and Ganon’s memory was long.

He could feel her within him, her Goddess-given power working to break free from his chains. He could feel himself weakening as arrows of Light pierced his skin. But he was not done yet.

I CURSE YOU! EVEN IF I FALL HERE TODAY YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE OF ME!

. . .

In one world, a ruined kingdom watched as Ganon raged across Hyrule field. A father holds his trembling son in his wings. A Zora Prince cheers for his Hylian friend to triumph. A child ruler grits her teeth in anxiety. A timid Goron watches in awe and fear.

In another world, the only onlookers to the great battle are the Vessel’s siblings. The rest of the kingdom knows not of what is happening in the Dream Realm.

In one world, the final blow is dealt to Calamity Ganon, Princess Zelda’s power vaporizing him in a single blast.

In another world, at the exact same moment, the Radiance is ripped to pieces by the Lord of Shades.

In that moment of unity, death, power, and triumph, the foundations of two worlds tremble.

. . .

Hornet came to slowly, her awareness first cataloguing a long list of aches and pains, before she registered where she was. She leveraged herself up with her needle until she was upright.

The Inner Sanctum of the Black Egg was destroyed. The battle between her two siblings had torn massive holes in the walls and floor, and there was a crater in the floor where she could see the body of the Hollow Knight. 

Perhaps they still lived. She dared not hope that they were free of the infection, she had long since given up on hope, but...well, had not the little Ghost just vanquished the Radiance? She hadn’t truly been present, but she had seen the whole affair as if it was a dream. She had seen the little Ghost drive their nail into the Radiance over and over again until they finally transformed into a towering being of Void...and then she had seen a goddess destroyed.

Today was a day for impossible things to come true.

Casting her gaze around the rest of the room, Hornet caught sight of her sibling’s broken mask, their nail, cloak, and other belongings alongside it. A small pool of inky black Void surrounded the empty shell. The little Ghost was gone, and Hornet didn’t know if they’d ever return.

A noise startled her, and Hornet turned, needle raised and ready to fight. She lowered it slightly upon seeing that it was Hollow who had made the noise, the large Void Vessel moving into a low hunch.

Hornet chittered with her mandibles, and the empty gaze of the Hollow Knight snapped to her. For a long moment, they just stared at each other. No trace of the infection remained within their eyes. Then, one step at a time, Hornet began to walk closer.

When she was but a few steps away, Hornet noticed that Hollow was trembling.

“Hollow?”

They averted their gaze.

“Hollow, it’s me, Hornet. Do you...remember me?”

They didn’t turn their head back towards her, and when Hornet placed a claw on their thorax, they flinched.

“Are you in pain? Dirtmouth isn’t far from here, and I have my silk. If there’s anything I can do-”

Finally, Hollow turned their head back around and met her eyes. Hornet felt a scratching at the back of her mind that she’d nearly forgotten and Hollow spoke to her. Not with sounds, words, or pheromones, but with concepts themselves.

[S̵͇̍̾e̸̱͎̎̆̊l̸̢̮̫͌f̶̧͖̫̥̘͖́̍͆ ̵̮̊̊̓͛̚D̶̨̫̙̊̃̈̎ͅė̸̡̙̤̱̾ṡ̶͖͙͈̬̈̀͒̔̐î̸̩̽͊͛̚g̷̨̰̲̃̈́̈̕͝ǹ̷̟̙̹̗̫͓̇̾͛͝a̸̝̻̠̐͊̅̔̚͠t̷̮̩͌̓̓ͅi̷̜̲̲͉̓͠ͅo̶̟͑n̸̳̹̬͕͐̂̄́͜͜:̶͎̳̝̔ ̵͙̽̒̚F̷̨̛̈̈́̉͒͘ȧ̴̟̑̎į̷̢̤̹̊̄̾̔͝l̷̞̞̩͈͙̆̔̐̄u̶̳̣̐̒̐r̶͓̿e̴̱͙̜͛͐̌͌͠͝]

It took Hornet a moment to parse that. Of course. Of course her sibling would think of themself as a failure. The Pale King had raised them for this sole purpose, it was the only reason they existed. Hornet knew that Hollow wasn’t truly Hollow. Looking back, perhaps some part of her had always known. And if they had never been Hollow, that meant they could feel emotions. Like guilt. Over something that they could have never controlled.

She needed to snip this thread before it could lengthen.

“No! You are not a failure! If anyone was to blame it was Father, and the Radiance, and...and me. Is it your fault that you had a mind? Is it your fault that The Pale King sought to create a being that cannot exist? You did all that you could, Hollow! For fifty cycles, you held her at bay within your own mind! No one could have done more! The Kingdom fell to ruin on the sins of others. Do not hold the executioner’s chisel over your own head.”

Hollow stared at her.

[D̴̨̨͒ǐ̵̩̼͑̿s̶̢̻̗̏ȁ̷̠g̷̲̈̍r̷͉̈́͊e̷̓̈́ͅe̴͎͖̅̾m̵̟̟̮̆̋e̵̮̚ń̷̺̞̟̕t̴̻̩̃̒͌]

Hornet chittered in surprise, then laughed suddenly. Hollow jerked back.

“That’s the first time you have ever disagreed when anything I ever said.”

When Hollow attempted to turn his head away once again, Hornet stopped the movement gently.

“No more shame. Please. Let me embrace my last living Sibling as I once did. It has been a very long time since I have done that.”

Hollow’s movements paused, then very slowly, they nodded.

When Hornet was nestled against her Sibling, she finally allowed herself to let loose the ball of tension and grief that was buried deep inside of her.

Together, the two children of the Pale King mourned in the ruined Sanctum of the Black Egg. Neither of them noticed the silvery Brand on a chain resting underneath Hornet’s mask.

. . .

Princess Zelda took a deep, steadying breath as she finished brushing her hair. After a century trapped alongside Calamity Ganon, she had felt a bath was one of the first things in order. Link hadn’t protested at all (not that he ever did). A short ride to the nearby Sacred Ground Fountain had let her have access to clean water, and Link had slipped her some soap that smelled like sea salt and safflina. After she was done bathing, she’d dressed in the only clothes she currently owned, and focused on brushing her hair, as a way to relax and think.

Zelda stopped for a moment just to feel the sensation of light touching her skin. Time had lost most meaning for her while she contained the wrath of Ganon, but that didn’t mean that she could just ignore the weight of all those years. She had been free for less than an hour, and was constantly rediscovering old sensations. The tactile pressure of water. The smell of grass, and the feel of the wind. It was honestly somewhat overwhelming.

But she would bear it, as she always did. She was a princess of Hyrule.

And with that thought, Zelda’s lips turned down. A Princess she was no longer. Her Father had died even before she had sealed Ganon away, and with her free of the beast...she supposed that she was now the Queen. Queen of a Kingdom that had fallen to ruin.

There was...so much work to do. So many people to rally. So much rebuilding to be done. She doubted that the work would be finished within her lifetime.

It was daunting, and for a moment, she felt despair overtake her.

“Hah!”

Zelda turned to see Link dragging a wild boar behind him, a single arrow buried in its neck. Upon noticing her glance, Link jerked his head in a single nod, then began to work on butchering the dead animal.

Zelda’s stomach rumbled at the thought of freshly roasted meat. Well...it had been 100 years since she last ate. She could go for some wild boar.

Placing the salvaged comb inside her dress, Zelda walked over to Link and passively looked on as the boar’s blood spread out over the ground.

She tried not to salivate over the raw meat. It was unseemly for a Princess or a Queen to drool over her food like a common vagrant.

When Link tossed the freshly carved boar meat into a searing hot wok with rice, herbs, spices, and carrots, she lost that battle. Din take decorum, she was hungry!

. . .

“Gods above, what the hell happened?”

Granté rubbed his head and looked at the sky. There had been...an earthquake? And a massive flash of light. He’d thought the world was ending and that he was going to die. He’d never even met the love of his life!

“You ok there, lil man?” said a deep, gravelly voice.

Granté groaned as a massive hand invaded his vision. Taking it, he was heaved upright, and he took a moment to just breathe.

“Thanks Greyson.” he told the affable Goron, and received a hearty chuckle out of his fellow resident of Tarrey Town.

“Don’t mention it! That quake took me by surprise too! Never even sensed it coming!”

Granté blinked in shock. Gorons were famous for their sense of vibration, able to predict when a rockslide or an eruption was imminent in the fiery territory of Death Mountain. For a quake to come so suddenly meant that it was something far out of the ordinary.

“What do you think caused it?”

At this, the Goron quieted up. Granté turned to look at him after receiving no response, seeing the Goron’s mouth open in shock.

“I don’t know, lil man, but that might have something to do with it.”

Confused, Granté turned to look at whatever it was that had captured Greyson’s attention.

Far in the distance, between the Akkala Falls and the Citadel Ruins, there was a mountain. It was even taller than nearby Ploymus Mountain, and it was covered in strange pink crystals. They speared through the side of the mountain, vast in both size and number, and Granté swore that they glowed even in the light of the afternoon sun.

There hadn’t been a mountain there a few minutes ago.

“....huh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coolio. Now that the beginning of the story is out of the way, let's talk numbers.
> 
> The in-game Hyrule map is *about* 5.6 miles by 4.2 miles (9 km x 6.8 km). BotW has a time dilation factor of 60 (24 irl minutes equals 24 in-game hours). Thus, we can just apply the time dilation factor to Hyrule to find out what a more realistic size would be with an approximately 24 hour day. This gives us a Hyrule that is around 336 by 252 miles (540 km x 408 km). This Hyrule has a similar land area to New Zealand, which is still somewhat unrealistic because of all the different climates present but I'm handwaving it away as magic.
> 
> Hallownest's size is somewhat difficult to determine, because there's no day/night cycle, because we don't have a third dimension, and because we have no set idea of the characters in relation to Hylian heights. I decided on making Hornet the standard to base everything off of. In this fic, Hornet is around 6 feet tall (1.8 m) to the top of her head and 8 feet tall (2.4 m) to the top of her horns. I then applied a time dilation factor of 5 to Hallownest, just to get a kingdom that was large enough to feel like an actual kingdom, and I decided that Hallownest is about as wide as it is long.
> 
> This gave Hallownest a size of 11 miles x 11 miles x 7 miles deep (17.7 km x 17.7 km x 11.2 km). Of course, Hallownest is not a solid cube or sphere that's packed to the gills with structures and houses, there's a great deal of solid stone and empty space, like the Abyss. But this does mean that, although Hallownest is not nearly as wide or long as Hyrule, is does extend FAR deeper than Hyrule, and has nearly as much useable space.


	2. Meetings

Elderbug clutched the pale flower in his claws tightly.

Everything had been normal before he went to sleep. The sky had been just as grey and cloudy as ever, the solemn silence that had once permeated Dirtmouth more peaceful in tone. He’d fallen asleep without any trouble and had a deep, dreamless slumber.

And now, everything was wrong.

“Elderbug? What is...what’s going on?”

Elderbug turned to see young Bretta peeking fearfully out of her door.

“It’s...the sky! It’s blue! Why is everything so bright? Where are the clouds? What is that burning orb?” Bretta whined. Elderbug said nothing back for several moments, trying to think of something comforting to say, and coming up empty handed.

“I...I don’t know...perhaps someone else in town will have an idea?”

Yes, that sounded like something he could do. The nice young couple who lived in the map shop...perhaps they would know what to make of this phenomenon.

The sound of Bretta’s door shutting startled Elderbug, and he heard muffled breathing and muttering coming from behind the door. Poor girl, she was already high strung as it was.

As he stepped into the harsh light, Elderbug winced. Whatever that orb was, it gave off a glow many hundreds of times brighter than a lumafly lantern, and a warmth like fire. After suffering no ill effects though, Elderbug decided that it probably wasn’t dangerous, and continued on towards the map shop.

Knocking on the door, Elderbug heard a loud thump, followed by some giggles. Iselda was the one that answered the door.

“Oh Elderbug it’s-” Iselda petered off as she realized that something was very wrong with the world outside of her home.

“Ah, yes. Iselda. As you can see...well...that.”

Iselda pushed past Elderbug without a word and craned her neck in every direction. After several moments, her abdomen puffed up, and she yelled.

“CORNIFER GET OUT HERE!”

Moments later, Elderbug was nearly bowled over as the stout beetle rushed to his wife’s side.

“Izzy, what’s wrong, what is—oh.”

Cornifer plucked the spectacles off of his face and polished them, as if performing such an action would change what his eyes were seeing.

“Oh my.”

“Have you ever seen such a thing in your travels?” asked Elderbug. He hoped that such worldly bugs would know more than he did.

Iselda responded first, saying “No, never. We’ve travelled to places without persistent cloud cover, but even then, the sky was always black, with tiny shining dots, like Lumaflies on the ceiling of a great cave. This is new. So bright as well.” Iselda winced away from the burning orb and shaded her eyes with a claw.

Beside her, Cornifer had a piece of silkpaper out, and was furiously scribbling.

“Not only the sky either! Look at the mountains surrounding us!”

Elderbug had been too dazed by the change to the sky to notice before, but what Cornifer said was true. While he could still see the familiar sight of Crystal Peak to the south and the Howling Cliffs to the north, there were other, unfamiliar mountains nearby as well.

To the west was a medium sized peak with what looked like fortifications ringing it, and there was some strange tower with glowing blue lines sticking out of the top of the foreign mountain. To the east was a shorter peak that was much wider, and Elderbug spotted what looked like houses, though oddly colorful and shaped like cubes.

Even further than that were more mountains, open plains, and everything was so colorful. Green was the primary color, which reminded him of Greenpath, but the land also was painted in shades of red, yellow, and orange.

“How could such a thing happen?” asked Elderbug.

Iselda shook her head “I haven’t the slightest clue, Elderbug. I am sorry. Maybe...maybe someone else in town might know? Sly travelled in his youth as well. And there’s always those who still live in Hallownest. Corny met a number of bugs down there who knew secrets that he didn’t.”

Elderbug clacked his mandibles together once, thinking it over.

“Maybe. But the danger posed by the ruins of Hallownest are great. I know that Cornifer has braved the depths of the kingdom, but it has changed. The air from the well has only grown more and more foul since the little one came to Dirtmouth, and I would not want to risk my friends for an unlikely answer.”

Whatever Iselda or Cornifer was going to say next was cut off as all three of them heard a loud screech coming from the well, like metal shearing in half. With nary a glance towards each other, they all rushed to the well to peer down into its depths.

Staring back at them were the masks of the a bug who wore the King’s Brand, and a large, dark bug with empty eyes and a chilling stare.

Their horns were lodged into the side of the well, and they had somehow cut the old well chain in half. It was clear that they were stuck.

Upon seeing the three bugs staring down at her, Hornet tossed the severed chain upwards.

“Hello. Let me tie this end around onf of his horns. We’ll need to pull him out.”

. . .

“Are you sure about this Hudson?” asked Fyson, his feathers ruffled in agitation.

Hudson scratched at the top of his head with one hand and sighed.

“Look, I may not know much about anything ‘sides from building, but that there’s a town. A very strange lookin’ town that don’t look like any Zora, Rito, Gerudo, Hylian, or Goron work I’ve ever seen, but a town all the same. It don’t have any walls and looks small, so it’s probably not a military camp. We should go say hello, see who and what in Nayru’s name is down there.”

“And if they attack us?” asked Fyson.

Hudson hefted his sledgehammer onto his shoulder with one brawny arm.

“Then we’ll deal with em just like we deal with Bokoblins on the road. Tarrey Town’s fulla tough crabapples. We can handle ourselves.”

Fyson huffed at that, then looked down his beak towards the distant town. With his sharp eyes, he could just barely see figures moving around, but not much more than the suggestion of movement and shape.

“...if you say so Hudson. But at the first sign of trouble I’m flying straight to Zora’s Domain, and coming back with a full platoon of Zora Warriors at my back.”

Hudson chuckled and slapped Fyson on the back. The Rito winced and rolled his shoulder gingerly as the stout Hylian walked away.  
“I swear he has a Goron in his family line somewhere.”

A few minutes later, a small group of Tarrey Town residents left the borders of the town and began the hike down to the Torin Wetlands. Hudson led the group, followed by his wife Rhondson, the Goron miner Greyson, the Rito Fyson, and the Sheikah Granté. 

All of them were armed in some way or another. Hudson had his sledgehammer slung over his shoulder, and Greyson his pickaxe. Fyson wore a quiver full of arrows and carried a Falcon bow, while Rhondson had a Gerudo Scimitar strapped to her hip, her hand never left the hilt. Finally, Granté carried an Ancient Sword that glowed a bright blue that became more noticeable as the sun began to sink in the sky.

It was dusk by the time the small group reached the outskirts of the strange little town. Fyson hadn’t spotted anything on the way down, but as they drew near, he saw movement. From the doors of one of the almost shell-like houses, he saw some sort of large beetle exit. The beetle walked on two legs, and while he couldn’t judge size perfectly at this distance, he judged they stood somewhere between the height of a Rito and that of a Hylian.

“It’s a beetle.”

The rest of the group turned their heads to him, a cornucopia of shocked looks on their faces.

“A..what?”

“A beetle. Standing on two legs.” intoned Fyson, flatly.

Rhondson raised an interrogative eyebrow at Fyson and asked “You’re sure it’s not some messed up looking Lizalfos?”

Fyson returned Rhondson’s look with a huff.

“I can see fine. It is definitely a beetle. It’s got antenna and a shiny shell and everything.”

Beside them, Hudson harumphed and scratched at his beard.

“Walking on two legs though? Like a monster, or like a being?”

Fyson threw up his wings.

“How should I know?! It’s a beetle, alright! It was walking! Maybe it’s a monster, maybe it isn’t, we aren’t going to find out by sitting around here talking all day!”

“Na minobis.”

As one, the Tarrey Town residents yelped and jumped back raising their weapons.

“Ah! Ma’galamek! Churro tella selamak!”

Less than a stone’s throw away from them was a new figure. This beetle (if it was indeed a beetle) was of a height with Hudson, and seemed to be wearing a pair of spectacles on its face. Two long antenna drooped behind it, and there was a knapsack of some sort bulging with rolled-up parchment on its back.

The beetle raised its hands (claws?) in a motion of surrender, and Fyson relaxed his hold on his drawn arrow. He left the arrow on the bow, though.

Rhondson was the first to recover fully. She stepped forwards, sword drawn but pointed at the ground and announced “We are residents of Tarrey Town. State your business in plain Hylian, bug, so that we may know you as friend or foe.”

The beetle tilted its head somewhat, then began speaking. Fyson tried not to stare at that way its mouth moved.

“Te’mello, nudo’aylamek. Bezz’a stakugando?”

Greyson shuffled around awkwardly and said “Did any of you get that?”

The others shook their heads or murmured in the negative. The beetle seemed to pick up on that, and they came to the same conclusion that it likely had.

They didn’t speak each other’s language.

Granté, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

“Fascinating! The presence of language, the upright posture, the fact that they are wearing spectacles. This must be a being from some far away land! So far away that they don’t know any Hylian!”

Fyson, and more than a few more of the party members rolled their eyes.

“Yes, fascinating, but this puts us in something of a pickle, doesn’t it?”

Granté’s smile dimmed somewhat, but after a moment, it came back full force.

“Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try other avenues of communication. Did anyone bring paper and ink?”

Rhondson snorted.  
“I doubt the beetle shares our script either, but if you want to try, grab a stick and draw in the dirt.”

Seemingly not picking up on Rhondson’s dismissiveness, Granté proceeded to do just that. He walked closer to the beetle, who had been watching them curiously, and began to sketch out something on the ground.

Fyson saw a picture begin to take shape. There were roundish, shell-like houses in one place, and cubic houses in another. The bug seemed to pick up on what Granté was doing, and pointed to the roundish, shell-like houses, then over to the town behind it.

“Det’umass.”

Granté smiled, and pointed to the cube houses with his stick, then over to where their town was.

“Tarrey Town.”

“Tchareey Twoon?”

“Tarrey Town.”

The beetle nodded and muttered to itself (himself? Maybe it was a him. It sounded like a male. Or at least Fyson thought so, not that he could understand the bug very well. The language it spoke almost sounded like something that could come out of a Rito’s beak or a Hylian’s mouth, except for the chitters, trills, and clicks).

The bug motioned to himself, papping his chest (thorax?) several times and said “Cohr’neefer.”

Fyson blinked.

“Is that his name?”

Granté ignored Fyson and pointed at the bug.

“Corneefer?”

The bug nodded and papped his thorax again.

“Cohr’neefer.”

Granté nodded, smiling, and copied the motion the bug had done.

“Granté.”

“G’hantae?”  
The Sheikah just continued smiling and once again said “Granté.”

The bug repeated the name dutifully.

With that done, Granté turned in place and gestured to the rest of his companions. Rhondson was the first to pick up on his meaning. She stepped forwards and slammed a fist into her chest.

“Rhondson.”

Fyson sighed internally. This game of charades was going to take awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, if you haven't picked up on it now, Dirtmouth and Tarrey Town are quite close. Dirtmouth is in the Torin Wetlands, which is that flat area just a paraglide down from Tarrey Town that has a bunch of dead Guardians and 2 Guardian Stalkers patrolling. Crystal Peak is to the south, and is butting up against the mountains surrounding Zora's Domain, and is also right next to Akkala Citadel. The Howling Cliffs are to the north and butt up against Death Mountain. The Northern Road in the Area now actually goes through King's Pass, while the Southern road is mostly unchanged despite its proximity to Crystal Peak.


	3. Developments

Quirrel looked out over the City of Tears, listening to the whispering rainfall.

What strange turns his life had taken since returning to Hallownest. He’d explored a ruined kingdom that seemed strangely familiar, battling corrupted bugs and beasts alike, and in time he had regained his memories. He’d helped the little Knight kill his old mentor. And then he’d sat down on the shores of the Blue Lake, intent on that being the last thing he saw in this life.

But fate had had different plans for him.

Quirrel was drawn out of his introspection by a bumping sensation at his claws, and he idly began to scratch behind the Grimmchild’s wings.

Yes, fate was a funny thing. There he had been, prepared to end his own life, when the little Knight had shown up and peacefully sat beside him for a time, before leaving him a charm and walking away.

The charm had turned out to be of the summoning type, and what it summoned was...well. A child.

His child, now, he supposed.

The little Knight’s motives were inscrutable at the best of times, but...perhaps they had wanted to give Quirrel a reason to live on? Or perhaps they simply trusted Quirrel with their child, if it was indeed their child.

So many questions. Such as, what had happened to the infection, and what was that earthquake that had rocked the foundation of Hallownest some time earlier?

It had been quite dramatic. There had come a low groan that echoed throughout the infected Forgotten Crossroads that Quirrel and the Grimmchild were wandering at the time. Then came a pulse of force, knocking Quirrel off of his hindclaws and sending the Grimmchild plummeting to the ground.

Upon springing upright, Quirrel had seen the infection fade from everything around them. The beasts, once hostile, had settled down, the vicious orange glow in their eyes fading. The putrescent pustules of orange goop had shrivelled up, and the infected moss had settled to its more natural slate blue coloration.

It was over. Somehow the little Knight had won.

So now, here Quirrel was, sitting by a window overlook the Capitol, with a new child and hope that he hadn’t felt since...well, since as long as he could remember.

“Kwurl, scratchies!”  
Quirrel laughed and resumed scratching between the Grimmchild’s wing joints, and he felt them purr with contentment on his lap.

“Ah, I am sorry little one. I have many thoughts on my mind.”

The Grimmchild didn’t respond. He was young, and not concerned with much more than food, comfort, and casual arson.

With the child satisfied for the moment, Quirrel returned to his thoughts. What would happen now? With the Infection gone, all of the shambling husks had dropped dead. Some lucky few still had bodies that were in good enough condition to live on, but Quirrel doubted that any more than one in a hundred were so lucky. Hallownest was less dangerous now, but it was even more of a mass grave than before.

Was it even possible to reconstruct the kingdom? Should they even rebuild in this cursed place? Perhaps it would be better to let Hallownest fade away until nothing was left but dust and empty shells.

Quirrel’s thoughts were interrupted for a third time by some outside influence, and he gave a long suffering sigh.

“What now?”

Someone was laughing in the distance. Despite how far away they must be, Quirrel could hear the boisterous laughter even over the whispering rain, and it was only growing louder.

Soon, Quirrel began to hear words.

“...a...and then...why the beast was no match...And then Fierce Dryya struck with her nail, leaving an opening for the Mighty Hegemol and I to rush in. We bashed at the fiendish Blackwyrm until it bled, and with a shriek, it fled from our kingdom, never to be seen again!”

Quirrel stood up, and the Grimmchild took to the air with only a slight amount of protest. The noisy bug came into view not long after as they trudged up the stairs, and they weren’t alone.

Behind the large Dung Beetle in red armour was a sizeable crowd of other bugs. Beetles, ants, stickbugs, dragonflies, pillbugs, and weevils. Quirrel even spotted a few bees, spiders, and mantises.

“And that, my friends, is the tale of the Battle of the Blackwyrm! Ah, and look here, two more wayward bugs that survived! Greetings!” said the Dung Beetle. Quirrel nearly took a step back from the sheer force of personality on display...and from the tremendous stink that the bug exuded.

“Ah. Greetings. I am Quirrel, a wandering, penitent scholar. And this is the Grimmchild.”

The Grimmchild giggled and blew out a tongue of flame into the air.

The Dung Beetle guffawed and slammed his claws into his chest several times before striking a pose.

“And I! Am the Dung Defender, also known as Ogrim! Member of the-”

“The Five Great Knights!?” exclaimed Quirrel. His memory was spotty, but he still knew enough to know the name of one of the most famous figures of Hallownest from before the ravages of the Infection.

“Ahaha, my fame has preceded me!” Ogrim laughed. Quirrel saw the spider and mantis share a long suffering look. “You see, sir Scholar, the Infection is gone! I am leading this merry band of bugs across the kingdom in search of all its survivors! Do you wish to tag along with us?”

Quirrel considered this before turning to the Grimmchild. In response, the little firefly (or whatever he was, Quirrel wasn’t quite sure) flew over and landed on the head of Ogrim.

“Aha! It seems the small one is on board!”

Quirrel chittered in amusement.

“Indeed. Well then, I suppose I will join this travelling band. Perhaps my knowledge will be of use.”

Ogrim laughed again (he seemed to do that a lot) and pointed with one claw.

“Very well! We move onwards and upwards, to the Fungal Wastes!”

. . .

Iselda grumbled to herself as she sorted through the crowded drawers in her home.

“I can’t believe Corny wandered off on me while the damned Heir apparent of Hallownest is here with some gangly, creepy, wounded bug! He can’t wait until everything has settled down to go exploring? There’s black hemolyph all over the ground outside and the Princess is in this podunk town with us and I can’t find the godsdamned medical kit!”

Iselda’s antenna vibrated in anger before she forcibly calmed herself. Shuffling through another drawer in silence, she huffed as she finally found the medikit.

“Finally.”  
With her quarry acquired, Iselda exited her home and marched to the location of their two unusual visitors. They were still in the same spot that they had been before, leaning against the bench in the middle of town. The Princess was alternating between worrying over the tall black bug and taking long looks at the sky, which was now orange for some reason (and wasn’t that intensely uncomfortable?) while the burning orb had sunk nearly to the horizon. The strange bug who still oozed unusual hemolyph was just staring at the sky.

As she drew closer, she began to hear their conversation...or rather, she heard the Princess talking. She had yet to hear the other bug say a single word.

“...I don’t think it’s her. She’s dead. We know that. It was blue when we came up, does that mean the sky was full of lifeblood? It’s alright Hollow. Calm down. You’re safe.”

Iselda felt a rush of awkwardness, and chittered loudly to catch their attention. The Princess turned and saw Iselda standing there, medikit in claw, and nodded to her.

“Ah...thank you. Iselda, was it?”

“Yes...uh. Your Highness. Here.”

She didn’t know how to act around royalty, so she just handed the Princess the medikit and stood to the side as the Heir of Hallownest’s throne tended to her companion’s (Hollow’s?) wounds.

“Hornet.”

Iselda made an interrogative scent and sound.

“You can call me Hornet. Now is not the time to stand on ceremony.”

Iselda mulled that over, and mentally shrugged. This day was weird enough already, adding on a humble princess didn’t change that. She could only hope that this was as strange as it got, she was already at her limit for today.

Several minutes passed in relative silence. Iselda stood, Hornet tended to the wounds of the tall bug, and Hollow continued to watch the sky, which had darkened from bright orange to more of a dull orange (was that good? Iselda didn’t know).

“The infection is gone.”

At that Iselda’s head snapped to Hornet.

“What?!”

Hornet chittered in amusement as she tied a silk bandage around Hollow’s thorax.

“Hard to believe, I know, but it is true. The Infection is gone for good. It’s faded from the Forgotten Crossroads like it never existed at all. Unfortunately, we didn’t meet any...intact survivors on the way up. Everything in the Crossroads was too corrupted to endure the change.”

Iselda felt light headed. She and Corny may have only moved to Hallownest recently, but in that time the worry over the infection (and the possibility of Cornifer becoming infected in his long trips down into the cavernous depths) had consumed her. And now it was just gone?

Today was truly too much. Was there no end to the absurdities?

“Hullo Izzy, look what I found!”

At the sound of her husband’s voice, Iselda turned, already forming wrathful words of reprimand on her labrum. Those words died when she saw who...what….trailed after her dear, idiot husband.

Behind Cornifer walked five...beings. She didn’t know how else to describe them, they didn’t look like any bugs Iselda had ever seen. One was tall and broad, and looked more like a living rock than a bug. One was covered in fluff, moreso than even a moth! And the remaining three were fleshy, like the Flukes that Cornifer had told her about, except that they had fluff on the tops of their heads.

All of them were armed, and were looking around Dirtmouth with undisguised curiosity (or at least, Iselda thought so. The strange geometry of their faces rendered their thoughts unreadable to her. Maybe they were disgusted or awed).

Cornifer stopped a few paces away, and in far too cheerful a voice, gestured to the...to the beings following him. Iselda felt the world begin to spin around her.

“I found these delightfully strange individuals just outside of the village. Would you believe it, but they live in that village up there on that short mountain! Tcharee Twoon, I think it was called. Oh, let me introduce them. The tall one is Kreysun, and they’re a Go’ron. The fluffy one is Flysun, and they’re a Ree-toh. The dark fleshy one is…”

Iselda fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, thanks for reading the chapter, now let's talk population calcs for Hyrule.
> 
> Unfortunately, population is a significantly more complex problem than land area. I can't just slap a x60 modifier on every village in Hyrule and call it a day, it's not that easy. A conservative estimate for the population of Hyrule before the Calamity is 1 million citizens. It was quite a large country which was entering a technology revolution, it has ample fertile land, and lots of space in general. All the medieval calculators I used were giving me numbers from 1-3 million. After the Calamity, I think there wouldn't be much more than 60,000 people left in Hyrule (given how desolate everything is), and that's split between all of the towns. So, I made some estimations.
> 
> Hateno is the largest single population of Hylians, at around 5,000 residents. That one's easy, it's in a prime area for farming, it's moderately densely populated, and was largely shielded from the Calamity. Kakariko has around 1,000 residents. There's less farming area, but they can make terrace farms. Lurelin Village only has around 300 residents, it's a medium sized fishing village. The remainder of the Hylians and Sheikah are either nomadic, like the Stable Owners, or they live in small villages of 10-100 people that just never made it into the game because of software limitations. All told, Hylians in Hyrule number about 18,000 and the Sheikah number about 2,000.
> 
> The Zora, Goron, Rito, and Gerudo all suffered significantly less losses to the Calamity than Hylians did, though they had less population to begin with, and thus each have around 10,000 citizens. The Rito don't farm, but they do forage, hunt, and fish, and their ability to fly means they can gather food in a huge range. Gorons eat rocks. Zora have access to the bounties of the rivers and sea. Really, the only problem is the Gerudo, who SOMEHOW get enough food despite being in the middle of the desert. I decided to make Gerudo town more of a cultural gathering site rather than a population hub. It only hosts more than 1,000 residents on important times in the Gerudo calender, and half of those 1,000 are travelling merchants and traders. The rest of the Gerudo travel in caravans to and from Gerudo Town, and are either totally nomadic or have villages in the tropical Faron region, where there's plenty of food.


	4. Conversations

Granté had to fight to keep the smile off of his face.

He had grown up with two scientists as parents. A not-insignificant part of his childhood was spent learning about the Ancient Sheikah. Their technology, their history, their culture, and their writing system. Granté was, quite possibly, one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the Ancient Sheikah. He was certainly within the top five (not that there as much competition these days).

His knowledge didn’t end with the Sheikah, either. Before settling in Tarrey Town, Granté had travelled the length and breadth of Hyrule. He knew a smattering of Gerudo, had studied ancient Zora monoliths, participated in the festivals of the Rito, and he’d sat at the feet of Goron storytellers. History was arguably a greater passion of his than technology. He had an abiding love for the subject.

Today was like Sage’s Day come early.

“Le kerek tis? Tis chatsuda! Gamo’a, sudo alem mera.”

“Lafenu pana? Galamatu’nakema! Malo’batu unis, Corneefer!”

The bug who had named himself as Corneefer was arguing with the bug who had fainted upon seeing Granté and his fellow Tarrey Town residents. Perhaps they were related, or married? Perhaps she was the village chieftain.

Though, if Granté had to place his money on someone being the leader, he’d put it on that horned bug wearing the red cloak.

Ever since entering the town, the red cloaked bug hadn’t taken their eyes off of the Hyrulean party. Wherever they moved, the bug’s head followed them. The spear the bug grasped never pointed directly at any of them, but Grané could feel the tension in the air.

“Che!” It seemed the tension had finally become too much. With that snapped order (possibly a ‘stop’ or ‘enough’?) the red cloaked bug put an end to the heated argument between Corneefer and his partner.

Yes, Granté would definitely put money on this bug being some form of leader.

. . .

“Enough!” barked Hornet.

Cornifer and Iselda ceased their little spat upon hearing her voice. Cornifer looked relieved, and suitably chastised, while Iselda looked to be biting her pedipalps.

As for herself, Hornet was fighting off a headache. This day was truly too much.

The Infection was gone. Her sibling was gone. Her other sibling was free, but wounded. Hallownest had been transported to some strange foreign land. And the sweet on top of the dung ball were these...alien things.

She didn’t know what else to call them. They weren’t bugs. They didn’t move like bugs, their bodies weren’t built like bugs. Whatever they were, they were new. And new things could be very dangerous.

“Cornifer. Did they understand anything you said?”

The cartographer shook his head and responded “No my lady. Not with scent or sound.”

Hornet cursed internally. A language barrier. How annoying. Perhaps they could find a linguist down in the broken ruins of Hallownest. Hornet almost laughed out loud at that. As if. However, the Teacher’s archives might help. It’d take a fair amount of time to get to Fog Canyon, but she could handle it. But that would mean leaving Hollow and the villagers behind, and she’d be damned if she-

Hornet tensed at the claw that tapped on her thorax, then relaxed upon realizing it was Hollow.

“You should be resting.”

Hollow shook their head, then pointedly looked at the foreign not-bugs, then back to Hornet. They pointed at their eyes with their remaining arm.

“I don’t see...oh. Oh. Hmmm.” Hornet considered the idea. It could work. Hollow’s...unique method of communication was rather disorienting, but it wasn’t really words or a recognizable language.

Hornet came to a decision and turned to the villagers.

“Hollow is going to try to communicate with them. They...aren’t exactly a normal bug. The foreigners might not take this attempt very well, so be prepared for them to attack, but don’t do anything other than defend yourselves.”

Iselda and Elderbug both gave off incredulous scents, while Cornifer just seemed excited to possibly have a way past the language barrier. Hornet chittered under her mask and nodded to Hollow, who stood up. The foreigners all took steps back, and some of them raised their weapons in fear. It was clear that none of them had realized just how tall Hollow was until now.

Hornet hoped her decision wasn’t about to start a war. Hallownest did NOT need that right now.

. . .

“Nayru’s tits, he’s huge.”

No one objected to the mild blasphemy from Hudson, as they were all thinking the same thing. All of the bugs so far had been around the height of a Hylian, maybe larger or smaller, but still fairly normal sized. The bug now standing had honestly faded into the background when compared to the arguing couple, the red cloaked spear carrier, or even the round one with the sad eyes. Hudson had noted the size of his horned head upon seeing him, but as he hadn’t been moving around or looking at them, he’d dismissed him.

Now, Hudson realized that that had been a mistake. The horned head was proportional to the body. Long, lanky, black legs extended up into a black abdomen and thorax, upon which rested that enormous bone-white horned head. Hudson estimated that the average Gerudo would only come up to his chest. Calamity take him, the bug might even be as tall as the legendary King Dorephan, whom Hudson had never seen in person, but who was, according to Kapson, more than twice as tall as he was.

“Woah, now, let’s calm down. We don’t want to make our new neighbors angry.” said Granté. Hudson flicked his eyes towards the Sheikah, ready to snarl at him, because the bug was huge and he was standing up and his eyes were big and black and empty...but then he looked around.

The other bugs were noticeably tense, but none of them had drawn weapons yet. Not even that one in the red cloak with the nasty looking spear. Meanwhile, Hudson could see that everyone from Tarrey Town had drawn their weapons, aside from Granté. Fyson had an arrow nocked and pointed at the big bug, Rhondson held naked steel, and Greyson...well, Greyson just looked frightened. Maybe he had a phobia of insects.

Hudson eased his white-knuckled grip on the sledgehammer in his hands, and grunted.

“Weapons down, like he said. Haven’t attacked us yet, he’s just...really tall. Ain’t a crime.”

The others, after a moment, complied with his orders, and Hudson breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t cut out to be a leader or chieftain. He was just a carpenter. How in Hylia’s name had he ended up as the defacto leader of Tarrey Town.

With his fellows and his wife calmed down, Hudson turned back to the tall bug and attempted to smile at him.

“Sorry about that, we just got a little startled is-”

[D̴̺͌e̷͍s̸͚̊i̸̥͋g̵̝̈́n̸̩̉a̸͎͂ṱ̶͆ȉ̴̳o̶̬͝n̴̚͜:̷͇͛ ̶̞̆T̵̢͆ẖ̶̀e̷͎͆ ̶͕̌Ḧ̷̱́ó̸͜l̷͈͒ḷ̵̕ǒ̶̭w̶̺ ̴͇͝K̶̭͂n̵̟̐i̵̺̿g̵̎͜h̶͓̎t̷͈.̷̡̕ ̴͇̎R̷͉͝ë̴̬́q̶͉̅ű̸̳e̸̜s̵̍ͅt̶̨͌:̴̣͛ ̶̧̆Ị̷̆n̷̝͊f̴̮̆o̸͍̒r̶̙̂m̶̮á̸̳t̶͔͛ḯ̴͙o̷̭͑n̸͒͜.̵̗͂ ̸͔̎A̷̬͛s̴͘͜s̵̩̏ủ̷̗r̷̹̕ã̵͙n̷̘̆c̶͙͘ę̸̇.̴̞̆ ̶̬́Ć̶̟ů̶͔r̴̖̆ì̶͜o̵̢̔s̵͚̒i̴̳͗t̶͓̆y̸͔͊.̴̂ͅ ̷̨͋F̵̢͠r̵̡̅i̷̦̿ē̸̖ṅ̶͕ḑ̵?̸̥̐]

Hudson’s eyes widened as he felt...something at the back of his mind. They weren’t words, they were thoughts. They were...he didn’t have the words for this. It didn’t feel right.

Fyson stiffened at foreign concepts that invaded his mind. Rhondson grit her teeth and glared hatefully at the beast. Greyson began to shiver uncontrollably. And Granté…

“Wait! They’re trying to communicate with us!”

Granté leapt in front of his fellow residents as Rhondson began her forward movement.

“Get out of the way, Sheikah, the beast violated my mind! I’ll have its head for that!”

“Look, I know it felt awful, but it worked. Didn’t it? Didn’t you all get the same message that I did?”

Hudson stroked his mustache rapidly in an attempt to calm down. Greyson looked like he wanted to bolt, and Rhondson was now trying to force her way past Granté. The bugs in front of them watched on silently.

“He...has a point you know.” interjected Fyson.

Rhondson whirled around and glared at the Rito.

“That doesn’t make it right!”

“No it doesn’t, for a Hyrulean. We know that. We have laws about mind magics. But do they? The Hollow Knight was just trying to talk to us.” Fyson blinked. “Oh, that's their name. Weird.”

Rhondson looked around for support. Fyson and Granté seemed to be on one side, while Greyson was simply scared. Rhondson turned to her husband.

Hudson looked at his wife and the question in her eyes and shrugged helplessly.

“He...they did just ask us to call them friend. I agree with you, honey, but maybe let’s...not kill them. If’n Granté wants to talk then he should be the one to talk to them, though. As for me, and I think the rest of ya, I’ll be glad if’n I never experience that ever again.”

Rhondson worked her jaw for a few moments and glanced at Granté, who didn’t look like he could settle on relief, excitement, or apprehension. Finally, she grunted, and sheathed her sword.

“Fine. But if the Hollow Knight invades my mind again I will not be so lenient next time.”

Hudson relaxed slightly, and moved next to his wife to put a hand on her taller shoulder. Rhondson scoffed gently and turned her face away.

“Good idea on letting the harebrained voe be the one to ‘talk’ with the Hollow Knight though.”

Granté cleared his throat nervously, then turned to the Hollow Knight.

“So...uh...hi. How does this...work. Um. Hollow Knight?”

. . .

The burning orb had slipped past the horizon, and the sky was a familiar shade of black, like the ceiling of a tall room, though with curious little lumaflies stuck in there. Hornet had rarely gone to the surface, and had never seen the sky be cloudless, but perhaps this was normal for the sky to act this way. She’d have to ask one of the villagers later.

With the orb’s absence, the foreigners had made their farewells and returned to their village. Hollow had only been able to converse with the one named Great One for a short time, but it had been informative, if confusing, due to using Hollow as a translator, and how their conceptual thought-speak mangled certain things.

Great One lived in The Town of Tardiness. His friends were Son of the Spirit, Son of Flying, Son of Grey, and Son of Grain. There were many more sons in the Town of Tardiness as well. Hornet wondered where all the females were.

This new land was the land of Highest Rulership. Hornet chittered in amusement at that. It seemed all kingdoms were destined to see themselves as the best kingdom that had ever existed. Hallownest certainly had.

Highest Rulership was also like Hallownest in that it had suffered from a Great Calamity. Some kind of evil being, who almost sounded like the Void, had plagued this land for a mantis’ lifespan. Many beings had died at the claws of the Calamity.

Ah, and that was another thing. Hornet now knew what each of the not-bugs was called.

Son of the Spirit was a Highest Ruler. That explained why he led their party. The Great One was one of the Shadow Folk. That was curious, he looked nothing like a Void Vessel. Son of Flying was a Bird...Hornet had no idea what a Bird was, but Hollow had been quite insistent that that was what he was. Thoughts-speak had its disadvantages.

Son of Grey was a Living Stone, which was confusing for a whole different set of reasons that Hornet chose not to dwell on. And finally, Son of Grain was a Desert Spirit, which surprised Hornet, as he didn’t look like his form was very well adapted to the harshness of the desert at all.

Hornet’s swirling thoughts were interrupted by the smell of fresh food, and she felt the emptiness in her stomach make itself known. She saw Elderbug approaching with some bowls of steaming soup, and she accepted one gratefully. Moving her mask out of the way just enough, she began to gulp down the soup greedily.

“So. What did you think of our strange visitors, your highness?”

Hornet was too busy eating to snap at Elderbug, but she did release a scent of displeasure, which Elderbug ignored.

“I know you asked to not be called that, but it is the truth. The Pale King is gone. You wear the King’s Brand. You are the heir to the throne.”

Hornet swallowed and readjusted her mask, placing down the empty bowl.

“I know. That doesn’t mean it feels real. For so long, I have lived as a warrior, a protector, a sentinel. Now that life is over, and I am expected to become a queen?” Hornet paused. “I will do it, yes, because I love my home, and I do not wish to see it become any more of a graveyard than it already is. But...how do I even start? What do I do with these new foreigners? I don’t...I don’t know what to do.”

Elderbug sat silently and sipped at his own soup, thinking.

“Perhaps, then, you should have bugs beside you to advise you on what you should do. I may not be the ruler of anything, much less this village, but there have been times where I have been looked to as a leader. And in those moments, it is good to consult with others who have experience in different areas. Like Sly, or Cornifer. They are more travelled than I am, and I rely on their counsel.”

Hornet mulled this over, then found herself nodding along.

“A council? Of advisors...that’s...not a bad idea at all. Very well then. You will be my first pick.”

Elderbug suddenly began coughing, his bowl falling to the ground and splashing soup everywhere.

“...ack...I beg your pardon, your highness, but I just told you I am no leader! I am an old fool who has never been further than the Forgotten Crossroads! Surely you want other, greater bugs to advise you on matters of importance!”

Hornet chittered in amusement, then said “No, I think I am making the right choice. I still remember the ‘advisors’ that surrounded my father. Soul-sucking leeches they were, more concerned with filling their coffers with Geo than with the affairs of the common bug. I will select other advisors to fill other roles, but you, Elderbug? You seem like one who is humble, and kind, and simple. There are very few bugs who has those qualities. If I am to rebuild Hallownest, I do not want to become disconnected like my father was.”

Hornet paused, and with further amusement, stated “And as you said, I am the Queen, am I not?”

Elderbug opened his mouth to argue. Then stopped. Then he opened it again, then stopped again.

“Ah...well. Then...I suppose I must accept, when you put it like that. Your Highness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the chapter, now let's talk Hallownest's population.
> 
> While Hallownest is far smaller than Hyrule in length and width, it's important to remember than it's around 5 miles deep (plus the Abyss which is an additional 2 miles. So while Hyrule is the size of New Zealand, Hallownest is like New York City...stacked on top of itself about thirty times. So, Hallownest at its peak would easily support a million bugs, with ample room for food growth, reclusive hermits, secrets, and all sorts of businesses.
> 
> Hallownest these days only has around 10,000 beings living in the entire kingdom, and that's including all of the ones that were just freed from the Infection. All the spiders, mantises, mushroom folk, bees, beetles, etc etc. Which leads me into my next talking point, which is that apparently all bugs can crossbreed. I mean, look at the relationships in canon. Not a single one is between two bugs that can confidently be called the same species by our taxonomical standards. The Pale King, who is some sort of Centipede God, was able to mate with a spider and a TREE for fucks sake. This leads me to believe that the bugs of Hallownest aren't exactly separate species like we would normally consider them, and more subspecies. They resemble Earth (or Hylian) bugs, but they are not actually mantises or bees.
> 
> So unless it's a question of, like, a mushroom and a bee, assume that any two bugs can have viable offspring which will combine aspects of both of their parents, which also explains why so many of Hallownest's citizens look nothing like any known Earth insect.


	5. Old Friends

_She looked out over an endless sea of darkness. The surface of the sea was smooth as glass, a sleek, uniform black so deep that her eyes couldn’t properly comprehend it. Whatever was contained in its depths, she did not know, as the light was simply sucked in. On further inspection, she noticed that she was the one giving off light, and that everything that was illuminated was because of her.  
  
The rest of the dream she found herself in was equally as strange. Great shells lined the walls, stone carvings in a language she didn’t know. Strange, blackened moss and vines grew in places, ripe with thorns and nothing else. And then there were the ghosts.  
  
Little black wisps floated through the air, hundreds of them. Their eyes were white, and their heads were crowned with horns, different for each one.  
  
Four of them approached her. They spoke, one after the other, in soft whispery ‘voices’ that had no sound.  
  
[Curiosity]  
  
[Light, Pretty!]  
  
[Playtime?]  
  
[Name?]  
  
She giggled. What strange and inquisitive spirits. They almost seemed like children.  
  
“My name is Zelda. What are your names?”  
  
[Sibling.]  
  
[Sibling!]  
  
[Sibling is Sibling.]  
  
[Sibling is also Sibling.]  
  
Zelda smiled.  
  
“I am pleased to meet you, Sibling, Sibling, Sibling, and Sibling. You wished to play?” asked Zelda. This dream was strange, but it didn’t seem frightening.  
  
The Siblings all nodded in excitement, then paused.  
  
[Question: Play?]  
Zelda paused as well.  
  
“You...don’t know how to play?”  
  
The Siblings all shook their heads. Zelda wondered how they even knew the word, but chalked that up to the strangeness of the dream.  
  
“Alright. How about we play Hide and Seek? I’ll explain the rules…”  
  
As Zelda and the Siblings began to play games together, Zelda failed to notice that she was being watched. From the surface of the lake, eight massive white eyes stared at the Hylian as she taught the Void Vessels how to play._   
  


. . .

  
Zelda was awoken by the sound of cooking.  
  
After her bath and meal, the two of them had ridden on Link’s Horse (who looked strangely similar to her own steed from before the Calamity, even down to the bridle and saddle) several hours across Central Hyrule. They’d reached the Wetlands Stable as night fell, and Link had paid for two beds.  
  
Speaking of Link, where was he?  
  
Zelda arose from the stable bed and looked around. Link wasn’t inside of the stable tent, he must be outside. A few of the stable workers were still asleep, the rest must have awoken with the sun like Link.  
  
She stepped outside while yawning. Link was cooking, as usual, and there were two small children sitting nearby on stumps.  
  
Zelda sat down by Link’s wok, and smiled at him as he passed her a bowlful. The children looked at her with big eyes before they scampered off, someone calling for them in the distance.  
  
“Thank you Link.”  
  
Link smiled back and flicked his fingers in a pattern that she had become long familiar with.  
  
{You’re welcome.}  
  
They ate in silence, not that Link was ever vocal beyond the occasional grunt or warcry. The air was filled with the sounds of the stablehands starting their days. After she was done, Zelda sighed in contentment, then turned to her stalwart bodyguard.  
  
“Alright then, Link. I think it’s high time we begin planning for the future. Do you have a current map?”  
  
Link nodded, and unhooked his Sheikah Slate from his hip. Zelda tried not to blush as he sat next to her, his leg touching hers.  
  
Any thoughts of their closeness vanished as the Sheikah Slate powered on, and Zelda caught a glance of the map.  
  
“So...empty.”  
  
It was hard not to fall to despair upon seeing the map. Link handed the Slate to her, and she began looking around.  
  
So many cities and villages were just gone. Central Hyrule in particular was almost completely abandoned, what had once been the breadbasket and center of civilization for Hyrule turned into wild country. Only the nomadic horse tribes who owned the stables still resided in the area.  
  
The situation was better the further she moved out from Central Hyrule, though. The Zora, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo still had their major cities intact, and she recognized many of the smaller villages. Kakariko still stood, as did Hateno Village, which made her smile. She’d always liked Hateno Village, the few times she’d visited Link’s hometown.  
  
There were also a few new settlements, though one in particular caught her eye.  
  
“Link, what is this...Tarrey Town? That must be new.”  
  
Zelda turned to see Link begin speaking, his hands quickly flashing through Sheikah Sign Language.  
  
{Very new. I helped build it. Mostly just found residents for them. Small town, but it’s grown quickly. We can stop there if you want.}  
  
Zelda hummed and zoomed in on Zora’s Domain.  
  
“Hmmm.”  
  
Where did she want to go first?  
  
“I think...that we should ride for Kakariko Village first. We should reach it at midday.” Zelda traced her finger to Kakariko Village. “From there, whomever is leading the village can send out messengers to all of the other surviving settlements to give them the good news, and inform them of my freedom. We can spend a few days there as well, to rest and plan more in depth. If all goes well, after we leave Kakariko, we’ll head for Zora’s Domain. We can spend the night here again at the stable on the first leg of the return, then at Inogo Bridge, then we’ll reach the Domain itself. From there we can have a look over Vah Ruta.”  
  
Zelda paused, then nodded to herself.  
  
“The ability to use the Divine Beasts in the reconstruction efforts will be invaluable. Vah Medoh in particular will have a major role in transporting large volumes of goods across the kingdom. But I am getting ahead of myself.”  
  
Zelda handed Link back his Sheikah Slate, then sat back to think.  
  
“I’ll need a horse and some riding clothes. Do you have enough rupees to pay for those, Link?”  
  
{Don’t need to. I already have them.} Link signed. Zelda blinked twice.  
  
“You have women’s riding clothes in my size?”  
  
Zelda stared at Link, who had developed a slight red tinge to his cheeks. Wordlessly, he activated the Sheikah Slate, and flicked through the menus to the dimensional storage menu. Blue lines flowed out of the device and coalesced in mid-air. When Zelda caught them as they fell, she saw that they were indeed women’s riding clothes. Good quality Hylian sheep’s wool, with a dark blue cloak, red shirt, and thick cream colored trousers.  
  
Zelda looked at Link, who was still blushing slightly, and asked “Is there a particular reason you’re carrying around women’s clothing in the Sheikah slate?”  
  
Link looked at her and sighed. His eyes shifted to the side, then flicked back to her.  
  
{They didn’t have men’s clothing in my size.}  
  
Zelda considered that, then shrugged. It honestly wasn’t any business of hers how Link dressed, and he _was_ on the small side. It sounded plausible that he would have some women’s clothing that he wore, especially now that Hyrule had so many fewer tailors.  
  
And if there was something more to Link’s reasoning...well, again. It wasn’t any of her business.  
  
“Alright. While I find somewhere to change into these, why don’t you get my horse? Or your horse, if we’re switching, as I couldn’t help but notice that the horse we were riding looks remarkably similar to my old steed, Aryll.”  
  
{We can switch, Princess. I have another horse stabled here.}  
  
Zelda nodded primly and turned on her heel. They had a long day of riding ahead of them. The sooner they started, the sooner they would reach Kakariko Village.  
  


. . .

  
Hornet awoke to a great cacophony of noise, and hissed in displeasure. She hated being woken up early.  
  
As she extricated herself from the silken hammock she had slept in, Hornet looked around the room. Elderbug had given Hornet and Hollow an empty house in Dirtmouth to stay in for however long they wanted to, and while Hornet was grateful, it didn’t change the fact that the home was...somewhat dilapidated. She’d made her own sleeping arrangements after seeing the mildewed bed, and she’d done the same for Hollow.  
  
She didn’t see Hollow though, his hammock was empty. Perhaps he was outside investigating the loud noises.  
  
After a few moments to make sure that her cloak was in order and that all of her possessions and weapons were in their proper places, Hornet opened the door of the small house, and winced in the harsh glow of the burning orb.  
  
Once her eyes adjusted, Hornet nearly dropped her needle in shock at seeing Dirtmouth. Before she had gone to sleep, Dirtmouth had been a ghost town, with more corpses than living bugs.  
  
Now though, the streets were practically full to bursting.  
  
Hornet saw bugs of all shapes and sizes. Pillbugs, stickbugs, and mosskin. Bees, ants, and a huge variety of beetles. Hornet even saw a few spiders lurking in the shadows. Upon seeing her, the spiders began whispering among themselves.  
  
Hornet took it all in, mind whirling. Where had these bugs all come from? Why were they here? Had someone brought them to Dirtmouth?  
  
“Ahaha! Thank you, kind sir! The foraging party is no doubt in good claws!”  
  
She knew that voice. It couldn’t be. She had been sure that he was dead.  
  
Hornet dashed through the crowd, ignoring their protestations. It didn’t take her long at all to see her quarry.  
  
His armour was red now, rusted and dented with the passage of time, but it was undeniably him.  
  
“Ogrim?!”  
  
The old dung beetle turned, then jumped when he saw who had spoken.  
  
“My goodness. Princess Hornet! You are alive!”  
  
The next thing Hornet knew, she was being swept up in the overenthusiastic dung beetle’s grasp, and she gagged slightly from the scent. She’d very seldom delved into the Royal Waterways. It made sense now that she’d never been able to find him.  
  
“Ogrim, put me down, I’m not a child anymore!”  
  
“Haha! Indeed not! You’ve grown up quite well, your highness! Why, I can remember when you were a tiny little spiderling, strutting around the palace trying to stab all the nobles in the back! Adorable!”  
  
Hornet hissed in anger and embarrassment.  
  
“If you don’t put me down right now you’re going to be stabbed in the _front_ , Ogrim!”  
  
“Aha...haha...ha...hmm. Ha. Ah. Yes, your highness.”  
  
Off to the side of the street, Hollow watched as Hornet gave the old knight a dressing down with...well, they supposed this feeling was amusement. They weren’t used to being allowed to name their feelings, or even being able to acknowledge that they had feelings at all.  
  
Things were very different now. Sibling Hornet had told them that they were allowed to not be hollow anymore, now that **hated enemy** was gone. But if Hollow wasn’t hollow, then...what were they?  
  
Hollow didn’t know.  
  
But...Hollow did want to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent entirely too long over the past few days doing travel time calculations for this fic (by which I mean, I hopped into BotW and rode my horse around a lot). Here are some things that I found out.
> 
> First of all, it takes 5 hours of in-game time to reach the Wetlands Stable from the Sacred Ground Ruins, and 6 hours to reach Kakariko Village from the Wetlands Stables. This is on horseback, following the roads, and traveling at a constant trot (horse speed 2). Now, using this wonderful website (https://objmap.zeldamods.org/#/map/z2,0,8) which can calculate exact travel distances in-game, we get the distance, which we run through the distance calcs, and we find that Wetlands stable to Kakariko village is about 60 miles by road. What this means is that horses in BotW travel significantly farther and faster than Earth horses do.
> 
> Now, I could just dial down the time dilation factor, but that gives me a whole other set of issues, so I'm just handwaving this away. Hyrule has a horse god and all sorts of magic, alright. Hylian horses are magical organisms that somehow have several times the endurance of Earth horses and can travel at a constant 10 mph (16 kph) trot for up to 8 hours at a time without seriously straining themselves. They can travel at a constant 20 mph (32 kph) canter for up to 8 hours, but at the end of that they'll be nearly dead. And they can gallop for short distances at speeds of 40-50 mph (64-80 kph).
> 
> Rito can travel at far faster speeds though. I did some reading on bird flight speeds, and decided that Rito can hold a 20 mph flightspeed for long periods comfortably, 40 mph for long periods in dire need, and that they can pull off 80 mph bursts of horizontal speed for short amounts of time. Or, in other words, Rito have twice the speed of a horse, and even more than twice the range, because they can catch thermals and updrafts that allow them to rest their wings.


	6. A Queen's First Act

“Are you all packed and ready to go?”  
  
Fyson gave Granté a look. The Sheikah held up his hands in appeasement.  
  
“Hey, it’s just a question.”  
  
“Yes, I’m packed and ready to go. Does that answer your oh-so-pertinent question?” said Fyson.  
  
Granté pursed his lips and asked “What has you so ruffled? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? It was rather cold this morning.”  
  
Fyson resisted the urge to sigh, and he gestured vaguely to the west.  
  
“I checked in on our new neighbors during my morning flight. Mouth of Dirt, Dirtmouth, whatever it’s really called, is practically flooded with bugs now. I haven’t the slightest clue where they all came from. We know barely anything about them. The only things we do know are things that you told us, after some freaky bug as tall as a tree used mind magic on you. And what’s more, very little of it made sense!” Fyson cried out, then he took a steadying breath. “I just...it feels wrong for me to leave Tarrey Town right now, when so many things could go wrong.”  
  
Granté considered that for a moment, then shrugged.  
  
“I get where you’re coming from. I’m worried about our little town too. And we will be keeping a close eye on the bugs while you’re gone.” Granté jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got the portable telescope my father made for me set up on my house’s balcony. It should be good enough to spot an invasion party. But just because we’re keeping an eye on them doesn’t mean we should be afraid of them.”  
  
Fyson huffed.  
  
“You just say that because you’re a history aficionado, and you find this opportunity to learn about a brand new, unheard of culture fascinating.”  
  
Granté blushed, and scratched at his cheek.  
  
“Well...that is a contributing factor, yes, but certainly not the only one. I also think we have a lot to gain from a potential alliance, in cultural, economic, and political matters. Why, if you look at the Gerdudo unification back in the Tabantha dynasty, the-”  
  
Fyson shook his head and tuned the scholar out, instead turning away. He had a 6 hour flight ahead of him, with a stop off in Zora’s domain to deliver mail and rest, and he had no desire to arrive at Kakariko Village after dark. With a strong stroke of his wings, Fyson left the ground, quickly ascending above Tarrey Town into the skies above.  
  
Down below Granté coughed from the sudden dust cloud that was kicked up, then glared up at the Rito.  
  
“Some people have no respect for history.”  


. . .

  
Hornet stood beside a suitably chastised Ogrim and scanned the crowd of bugs.  
  
It was honestly surprising that Ogrim had been able to find so many, especially since the venerable beetle had taken a fairly straight path from the Royal Waterways to Dirtmouth. Hornet estimated there were at least three hundred bugs in the group he’d brought up. Of course, the path Ogrim had taken through the City of Tears would have been the most densely populated, and she shouldn’t expect the same number of survivors in areas like Kingdom’s Edge, but still. This was a good sign.  
  
Hornet noticed several bugs in the masses staring at her, and she steeled herself. It may have been a long time since her training, but she _was_ the daughter of three queens. Vespa in particular had given her lessons on public speaking, once upon a time, and even though she’d found it strange that the Queen of a Hivemind would need such a thing, she couldn’t deny that it would come in useful now.  
  
“Ogrim.”  
  
The knight stood to attention.  
  
“Yes, my lady?”  
  
“Get the crowd’s attention.”  
  
“Right away.” Ogrim spread his stance out, and drew in a deep breath of air through his spiracles.  
  
“ **THE QUEEN WISHES TO SPEAK!** ”  
  
All at once, the hubbub in the crowd stopped, though Hornet could hear whispers start up.  
  
“The Queen? She’s not the White Lady?”  
  
“No, remember, the Pale King’s heir. The one he fathered with that spider from Deepnest.”  
  
“Ugh, the halfbreed heir. Disgraceful.”  
  
“Wait, does that mean the Pale King is dead?!”  
  
“She doesn’t look much like a spider. Where’s the rest of her legs?”  
  
Hornet grabbed the brand around her neck and hoisted it into the air. The whispers subsided as she began to speak.  
  
“For those of you who don’t know, my name is Hornet! My father was the Pale King! My mother was Herrah the Beast, ruler of Deepnest! I was raised by the White Lady and Queen Vespa! I wear the King’s Brand, and I claim, here and now, my birthright as Queen of Hallownest! Any of you who dispute this claim, step forward and make yourselves known!”  
  
The crowd milled around, and there was a round of furious whispering, but none stepped forwards. There were doubtlessly those among the gathered bugs who did not accept her birthright, or the brand around her neck, but the needle on her back and the Great Knight by her side prevented them from acting on these thoughts.  
  
It was unavoidable, Hornet knew. Trust, fear, and awe would come with time. All things a good leader needed to keep their subjects in line.  
  
Hornet began speaking again, and once more the crowd quieted down.  
  
“The Infection is gone! Hallownest has been freed from it’s grasp. However, that does not mean that the kingdom is saved. If we do not come together, right here and now, more bugs will die!” Hornet paused and panned over the crowd with her gaze. “Dirtmouth has limited food stores, I doubt this town can provide for all of us for very long. And what’s more, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, we are in a new place!”  
  
At that, the bugs began speaking, much louder this time.  
  
“Why is there a burning orb in the sky?! Why is the sky blue?”  
  
“Did the end of the Infection cause this?”  
  
“Why is it so hot?”  
  
“Can you take us back?!”  
  
As the buzz of questions mounted, Hornet turned to Ogrim and nodded at him.  
  
“ **SILEEEEENCE!** ”  
  
The tide of questions and anger halted, for the moment at least. Hornet released an appreciative scent for Ogrim and returned to speaking.  
  
“I do not know where we are! But I intend to find out! And I intend to ensure the recovery and continued survival of any and all bugs in Hallownest, regardless of their previous stations or allegiance from before the Fall.” Hornet paused. “To that end, I am forming five separate groups! The survival of Hallownest and it’s citizens will depend on the work of these groups!”  
  
Hornet gestured to Ogrim, who stepped forwards without hesitation, despite having no idea what Hornet was talking about. In hindsight, she should have probably discussed this with him beforehand, but she’d needed to address the crowd as soon as possible.  
  
“The first group will be led by Ogrim. They will return to the depths of Hallownest and search the kingdom for survivors, and inform them of everything that is happening. Ogrim’s group will also bring groups of survivors to Dirtmouth, the Crossroads, or the City of Tears, so that we can commence a headcount of those who still live, and properly plan how to feed and house everyone!”  
  
Ogrim puffed up at the implicit order that he’d been given, and moved away from Hornet, placing his claws on his abdomen. Several bugs broke from the crowd to go over near him.  
  
“The second group will be led by Iselda and Cornifer!” Hornet hoped the cartographer and his wife would forgive her for hoisting this duty on them as she pointed to the married couple. “We are in a new land that we know next to nothing about! To that end, those two, as well as any who wish to accompany them, will explore it! First the surrounding area, and then beyond, mapping as they go, and documenting what they can find!”  
  
Hornet glanced over at the couple. Cornifer was vibrating with contained glee, while Iselda seemed torn between glaring at Hornet and looking fondly at her husband. After a moment, she seemed to make her choice, and nodded to Hornet. More bugs moved to stand near them.  
  
“The third group will be led by Quirrel!” Hornet pointed to the pillbug, who started at being singled out. Apparently he had not known that she had seen him and that firebug who accompanied the little Knight. The former disciple of Monomon the Teacher had travelled all over Hallownest, and would make a good choice for a group leader.  
  
“This group will gather food in Hallownest, and here on the surface once the explorers have judged it as edible! We need enough to feed every bug here right now and every bug we may rescue! Greenpath and Queen’s Gardens will be prime foraging spots, and there are plenty of fresh corpses for flesh-eaters to partake in now that the Infection is gone! Food will be brought back to the staging areas here in Dirtmouth, in the Crossroads, and in the City of Tears, to feed bugs and to start storing it up for later!”  
  
The scholar gave Hornet a long look before he bowed to her, and Hornet chittered in relief. Thankfully he didn’t hold that one time she’d tried to kill him against her.  
  
“The fourth group shall be led by me! I don’t need many of you to accompany me, but I do ask that the mantises, spiders, bees, and that Fool over there to join me! I plan to speak with the other factions of Hallownest about the future of the Kingdom, and what part they wish to play in it!”  
  
There was movement in the crowd as two mantises, three spiders, three bees, and a Fool strode out. None of them came near to each other, and none stood very close to Hornet either.  
  
“You do not command the mantis-”  
  
“I know that. It was a request. I seek an audience with the Sisters, the same as I do with the Greater Fools, what remains of the Undercourt, and...well, the Bee Hivemind, as I know that Queen Vespa is dead.”  
  
The bees buzzed sadly. The two mantises gave each other a look, then turned back to her.  
  
“The Sisters will challenge you. If you succeed, then you may speak to them.”  
  
Hornet chittered in amusement.  
  
“Oh, trust me, I am well aware.”  
  
Seemingly satisfied, the mantises backed away. The spiders didn’t voice any complaints, but Hornet was not so foolish as to assume they accepted her merely because she was Herrah’s daughter. She would be tested in Deepnest just as surely as she would be tested by the Mantis Lords, though the tests would no doubt be very different.  
  
The Fool simply stared at her before nodding once. Hornet would take that as an affirmation.  
  
“Thank you for your agreement.” Hornet turned back to the crowd and said “The fifth and final group will be led by Elderbug! Any of you who do not wish to join one of the other groups will be under his command! Dirtmouth, the villages in the Crossroads, and the City of Tears are in shambles! This group will be responsible for cleaning out buildings to once more be liveable! They will manage the staging areas and will be in charge of cataloguing the food stores and performing the headcount! They will also bury, burn, or store bodies for feeding!”  
  
Elderbug looked nervous at all of the eyes on him, and his stance crumpled slightly. Nonetheless, he gave Hornet a nod of assent.  
  
“These are the groups! If you do not wish to work for any of them, then you may leave and find your own food, shelter, water, and protection! Otherwise, get to work!”  
  
With that, the crowd began to break up, the vast majority moving to one of the five designated leaders. Hornet spotted a few bugs leaving by themselves, but that was inevitable. They would either return to the fold in time, or they’d survive by their own claw.  
  
Hallownest would not die now, or at any point in her life, if she had anything to say about it. Hallownest would be made whole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in a hot minute, I've been consumed by existential dread and also playing Animal Crossing. But enough about that, let's talk food supplies.
> 
> We don't have many solid canon sources for what bugs eat in Hallownest. We know that bugs eat other bugs, but there's little information on whether killing and eating intelligent bugs was considered gauche or even taboo before the Infection. I don't think cannibalism is really a concept that bugs pay much attention to, even the nobles of the capitol. If it's dead, it can be eaten. If it's alive and thinking, then they'd have a problem with killing it, sure, but otherwise, it's meat. This will obviously horrify the Hyruleans, but it's a case of Orange and Blue morality.
> 
> Greenpath, Queen's Gardens, and the Fungal Wastes seem like they'd provide most of the vegetarian options for bugs to snack on (although vegetarian is somewhat of a misnomer if there are also sentient mushrooms and plants in Hallownest). Before the Fall, there were also farms for plants and bug cattle like Gruzzers, Aluba, Bluggsacs, and Aphids. These will need to be rebuilt. Nectar-eaters and bees need flowers. And yes, the plants and animals of Hyrule will also enter the bug diet, in time.


	7. Passive and Agressive Negotiations

Zelda felt a profound sense of relief sweep over her as they reached the outer gates of Kakariko Village. A group of Lizalfos had attacked them on the road, and had been swiftly dispatched by Link. The attack had been a sobering reminder to her that places that had once been safe from monsters were now risky to travel through.  
  
Though, hopefully that would change soon. With Ganon’s departure, the monsters would no longer regain life during the blood moon. Indeed, the Lizalfos Link had slain had left behind corpses, instead of fading into smoke. The monsters were unbound from Ganon’s power, which meant that the Hyruleans that were left could begin to drive them back and retake their lands.  
  
Though, what good were lands if there were no people to live there? This thought had persistently repeated in Zelda’s mind on the ride to Kakariko. Perhaps...perhaps they could seek help from former allies in neighboring countries, like the island nations of Gamelon or Koridai, or the continental kingdoms of Holodrum, Ordonia, or Labrynna? Though, what country would _want_ to send its own citizens to become citizens of a different nation? And there was always the possibility of war, especially now that the threat of Ganon was gone and Hyrule was weak.  
  
Zelda’s grip on her reins tightened. She had not held back Ganon for a century to see her people conquered by some mortal king. Her powers were gone, yes, but Hyrule was still protected by the Divine Beasts, and all of the citizens that remained would sooner die than bow to an uppity foreigner who wanted to ransack the ruins of their kingdom. Hyrule would endure. She would make sure of it.  
  
As they passed through the second gate, and Kakariko Village came into view, Zelda shook her head and buried her circling thoughts.  
  
The village had barely changed at all in the past century, thank the goddesses. There was no widespread devastation, no empty ruins. If anything, Kakariko seemed to have grown in size since she’d seen it last, which made sense, she supposed. It was in a highly defensible location in the mountains, and was guarded by Sheikah warriors. She was thankful for that.  
  
“Is that…?”  
  
An elderly Sheikah woman who had just exited the General Store looked up at Zelda with wide eyes. The basket of food that she had been carrying was on the ground, some of it spilled onto the dirt.  
  
In front of her, Link immediately dismounted his horse, and quickly scooped up the woman’s groceries. The old lady blinked and accepted her basket back.  
  
“T-thank you dear. I hadn’t expected...is that really you, Princess Zelda?”  
  
Zelda smiled at the old lady from her horse.  
  
“Indeed it is. Have we met before, elder?”  
  
The old lady sucked in a breath, then laughed weakly.  
  
“Oh, I saw you once riding through Kakariko when I was a small child. I doubt you remember me. My name is Nanna. I studied under Purah, during the Age of Burning Fields and after, before I retired here to Kakariko Village.”  
  
Zelda hummed.  
  
“Is Purah still around? I imagine not, she’d be over a hundred and thirty by now. Still, it would have been nice to speak with her again, she was one of the foremost experts on Ancient Shiekah technology.”  
  
Nanna guffawed and said “Oh, Purah’s still alive and kicking, as strange and energetic as always. Old age doesn’t seem to have done anything more than annoy her. I haven’t seen her in twelve years, but we keep in touch through occasional letters. She’s living on a mountain near Hateno Village these days. I imagine she’d be delighted to speak with you again, your majesty. She talked about you sometimes, you know.” Nanna smiled at Zelda, who smiled back. It _was_ good to hear that Purah was still alive.  
  
“Ah, that is good to hear. Thank you for your time, Nanna. We’ll let you get back to your day.” It was nice to talk to someone who was familiar with her, but Zelda really wanted to talk to the village chieftain as soon as possible.  
  
Nanna didn’t seem to mind her impatience, and waved her off.  
  
“Ah, I imagine you have all sorts of important royal business to attend to now that you’re back. Don’t let me keep you, Princess...or should I say, Queen Zelda.”  
  
Zelda flushed slightly and said “No coronation has been held. For the moment at least, Princess is fine. Good day, elder.”  
  
With that, Link hopped back onto his horse, and the two of them continued on their way. A few minutes of riding later, they arrived at the Main Hall of the village, and both of them dismounted.  
  
“Ah, Sir Link, let me get a stablehand over here to board your horses!” one of the guards in front of the stairway up to the Main Hall said, giving Zelda a curious once over before turning away and cupping his hands to his mouth.  
  
“TALO! GOT TWO HORSES THAT NEED BOARDING!”  
  
The other guard winced at the loud shout and gave his compatriot a glare.  
  
“Dorian, they could have gotten Talo themselves. Hylia knows Link has been here often enough to know where to board his damn horse.”  
  
Dorain looked chagrined and responded “Sorry Cado.”  
  
Zelda covered her mouth to politely smother her giggle, and approached the two guards with Link at her side while a boy in his teens rushed over and led their horses away.  
  
“We’re here to see the village chieftain.”  
  
The two guards looked at each other briefly, then back at her.  
  
“Any friend of Sir Link’s is welcome anywhere in our village, of course. Just as long as you remember to be respectful to the chief.” Cado sniffed.  
  
Zelda nodded, amused.  
  
“Quite.”  
  
As they walked up the stairs, Zelda heard the guards muttering behind her.  
  
“Who was that? She looked familiar.”  
  
“Mmm. Agreed. Maybe she’s from Hateno? The clothes look like they came from there.”  
  
“No, it’s something else.”  
  
Zelda snorted.  
  
The two of them reached the door to the Main Hall, and Zelda took in a deep breath before pushing the door open.  
  
The interior of the building was dark, but clean and well cared for. There were paintings on the wall of places around Hyrule that she remembered. One in particular caught her eye. That looked like...Blatchery Plain. The place where Link had very nearly died.  
  
An old woman rested on a pile of pillows at the back of the room. She looked to be asleep, but when Zelda stepped closer, her eyes snapped open. Zelda cleared her throat and said “Greetings elder, I am-”  
  
“Princess Zelda!” the old woman cackled. “Oh, I am well aware of who you are, my lady. Don’t tell me that you’ve forgotten me? For shame, Princess, I helped you steal wildberry tarts from the cooks and this is how you repay me?”  
  
Zelda blinked in shock.  
  
“Impa!?”  
  
The elderly Sheikah smiled, showing her many missing teeth.  
  
“Yes, my lady. It is a pleasure and an honor to see you again.”  


. . .

  
Hornet descended through the Fungal Wastes, with her eclectic posse of bugs following. The bees, who had refused to offer their names, looked nervous, while the spiders (Ibis, Ibex, and Ibik, sisters apparently), the mantises (Xeen and Kolan), and the Fool (The Crusher, probably a stage name) seemed unbothered.  
  
Conversation hadn’t occurred beyond cursory introductions. Hornet wasn’t bothered, though. None of these bugs liked or trusted each other. Before, there had been the presence of other Hallownest citizens to provide distance and padding, but now, these wayward members of disparate tribes were in close proximity. It was no wonder that they kept silent. Hornet was just thankful the spiders and mantises hadn’t tried to kill each other yet.  
  
Soon enough, the small group entered the lands of the mantises, and Hornet parried a sudden claw strike from a young mantis patrol guard.  
  
“Outsiders are not welcome on Mantis lands, and neither are traitors and cowards! Leave or die.”  
  
Xeen hissed at the patrol guard while Kolan visibly puffed up in anger.  
  
“We are neither traitors nor cowards! The Infection took Kolan and I on a foraging mission in the upper reaches of the Wastes.”  
  
Hornet stood back to watch the byplay, while the other members of her party did the same.  
  
“You lie! The Infection does not let those within it’s clutches go. You are deserters, and you will pay the price for your dishonor!”  
  
The patrol guard charged, razor claws ready to snap forward in an instant. Xeen, however, was an older and more experienced warrior, and the young guard was pinned to the ground in seconds.  
  
“Know this, youngling. The only reason I do not kill you now for your words is that I wish to return to the service of the Sisters with as little fuss as possible, and because I know that you are ignorant and foolish as many young ones are. The Infection is gone. All of us will attest to it. And this one,” Xeen pointed to Hornet “seeks an audience with the Sisters.”  
  
The guard struggled and hissed, their mandibles snapping forward in an attempt to bite Xeen’s legs off while their claws struggled to break free. After a long moment, they calmed down enough to respond.  
  
“The Sisters do not see any bug who comes strolling into our lands! If they wish for an audience, then they must challenge them, as is our custom!”  
  
Hornet took this as her cue, and stepped forwards.  
  
“I _am_ going to challenge them. And if you will not let us past, I will challenge you as well. Xeen has already proved himself. Do you really want to be beaten twice in a row?”  
  
The warrior let out an outraged scent, but stopped struggling as much.  
  
“Watch your tongue, outsider. Infection or no infection, those of Hallownest are not welcome on Mantis lands. To say nothing of the _savages_ you have in your party.” The patrol guard stared at the spiders, who looked entirely unbothered by the attention. “But, very well. You have beaten me. You may pass into the village. I hope the Lords enjoy the taste of your severed heads.”  
  
With the patrol guard’s surrender, Xeen let the young mantis up, and each member of Hornet’s party was scent-marked to let them pass through to the village unharmed. Then, with one last glare, the guard leapt away, and Hornet’s group resumed their journey.  
  
No more mantis accosted them on their way, though the ones who saw them glared and hissed. The scent-marking would only last for a short time, and if it wore off while they were on mantis land, they would be swarmed by angry warriors. Hornet wasn’t concerned, though. There was more than enough time to challenge the sisters.  
  
Soon enough, they had arrived at the village proper, and Hornet turned to her party.  
  
“Very well. Xeen, Kolan, we’ll go see the Mantis Lords. The rest of you, try not to anger the mantises. That scent-mark only protects you from immediate attacks. If you offend them over anything, they will kill you. I shouldn’t be long.”  
  
Xeen chirped, and Kolan looked torn between amusement and anger at how she talked about the mantises. Ibis was the one to respond, waving Hornet off with her forelegs.  
  
“Go on, little Princess. I doubt you’ll have a warm welcome, but do Deepnest proud.”  
  
Hornet fought the urge to hiss at the deceptively honeyed words. Bringing up her heritage here was a spiteful and confrontational move. She’d have to earn respect there just as surely as she would here. But, she’d deal with the spiders and their manipulative maneuvering later. For now, she had a fight to win.  
  
It didn’t take long to reach the high thrones of the Mantis Lords. The three Sisters sat up at seeing her and the two mantises alongside her. They observed her silently while she walked in front of them, Xeen and Kolan remaining off to the side of the room to wait.  
  
Hornet drew her needle.  
  
“I am Hornet! Daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast! The Infection is gone. I seek to rebuild Hallownest, and challenge for the right to speak candidly with you about the future, and a potential alliance!”  
  
The Sisters did not visibly react to this beyond a slight narrowing of their eyes. Then, the one on the highest throne spoke.  
  
“Very well. Quan.”  
  
The mantis on the left throne stood, needle in hand. A cage of bronze descended from the ceiling, and spike pits opened around the edge of the cage.  
  
“ **Drosa!** ”  
  
The fight began with a ringing of steel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was fun. I've been getting some questions on what each hero has and what they did before their respective game endings, so I'm going to answer that.
> 
> Link freed the Four Divine Beasts, bought and furnished his old home in Hateno, helped build Tarrey Town, got all of the non-DLC memories, got the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, and also found 100 Koroks and 102 Shrines. 102, because that's the number of Shrines I did in my playthrough before needing to consult walkthroughs. Link did all of this in the space of two months. He does NOT have the Master Cycle, the Hero of the Wild Armour, or any DLC/Amiibo stuff in general like the Ancient Saddle or Wolf Link. He also doesn't have Ancient Gear aside from what he was able to scavenge off of dead Shrine Guardians.
> 
> The little Knight got all the charms, the fully upgraded Grimmchild (yes, they beat NKG), did all of the Delicate Flower Quests, spared the Nailsmith, completed the Hunter's Journal, and beat the first four Pantheons. In this fic, though, the Pantheon of Hallownest didn't exist. After beating the Pantheons, the Knight was attuned enough that they were able to go challenge Absolute Radiance by breaking into Hollow's mind. The ending was a combination of Dream No More and Embrace the Void, then; Hollow and the Siblings helped the Knight, who became the huge Lord of Shades at the climax and ripped apart the Radiance. Hollow was freed. The Infection is gone. The Siblings are still around in the Abyss, but they're at peace and in control now. The Godseekers are all still alive, as the Knight ascended inside of Hollow's mind and didn't need to break out of his Sibling (and also didn't want to damage Hollow). Currently the Knight is chilling in the Abyss.
> 
> Oh, also, for my Ao3 and FF.net readers, I have additional resources on my Spacebattles page for this fic.  
> Here is a Hylian Calendar I made: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-legend-of-zelda-the-hollow-knight.908723/post-73248812  
> Here is a set of Height Charts:https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-legend-of-zelda-the-hollow-knight.908723/post-73623744


	8. Mantis Lords and Cream Puffs

Hornet danced with Quan, sparks shooting into the air as their needles shrieked across one another.  
  
The fight wasn’t the hardest that Hornet had ever fought, but it was close. The youngest of the Mantis Lords was skilled enough, but her true strength lay in her blistering speed and her greater reach. Hornet was used to being the more mobile, aggressive one in a fight, but now she was forced to fight defensively, moving as little as possible and parrying often. It was frustrating.  
  
Hornet dodged a strike that would have taken one of her legs out of commission and blocked the follow up strike with the flat of her needle. It was a pity she couldn’t use SOUL, this would’ve been much easier with it.  
  
Thankfully, though, the fight wouldn’t last much longer. Hornet threw her needle past the Mantis Lord, who dodged and rushed at her to capitalize on her lack of a weapon. Hornet then wrenched back on the silk thread attached to her needle, hurtling the blunt tip of the handle into the back of Quan’s head, dropping the mantis to the ground. Before she could recover, Hornet leapt forwards and placed her needle on her neck.  
  
“Yield.”  
  
Quan hissed in displeasure, but yielded as requested. Hornet removed the tip of her needle from her opponent and turned to the other Mantis Lords.  
  
The eldest, Tang, chirped in approval, while the middle sibling, Lang just stared coldly at Hornet. Tang stood and addressed her.  
  
“You are strong, and honorable. Much more so than your _father_ ever was.” Hornet chose not to comment on the dismissive, mocking inflection on the word father, instead listening as the mantis continued. “An audience you shall have, Hornet of Hallownest. What is it that you wish to discuss?”  
  
Hornet took a moment to catch her breath as the bronze cage receded into the ceiling and Quan retook her seat, the youngest glaring hard at Hornet through the slits in her mask. That was unfortunate, a grudge would get in the way of what she had planned.  
  
“I have come here with news, a request, and an idea. I will begin with the news. The Infection is gone, and the entirety of Hallownest, as far as I can tell, has been transported to a different world.”  
  
For the first time since she’d seen them, the indifference of the Mantis Lords broke, showing naked shock. Hornet saw Tang grip the sides of her chair so hard that she gouged claw marks into her throne.  
  
“ **How?** ” asked Lang.  
  
“The Little Knight, my sibling, defeated the Radiance, the source of the infection, within the mind of the Hollow Knight, my other sibling. The battle was difficult, and long, but in the end my Sibling gave their life and the Radiance was destroyed utterly, and all who were infected either died or were freed. As for our transportation...that, I do not know anything about. Perhaps the death of an ancient goddess had some reason for it. Perhaps someone or something from this new land transported us here. Further investigation into this event is required.”  
  
Quan leaned forwards and asked heatedly “I suppose you expect us to believe you on your word alone?”  
  
Hornet shook her head.  
  
“I do not. Xeen and Kolan can attest to it as well, as can the rest of my companions who are staying in the village.”  
  
Quan pinned the two mantises under her stare, and they took it as an order to step forwards, Xeen once again being the one to speak.  
  
“She is right, Honorable Ones. The sky is different up on the surface, and the surrounding mountains have changed. There is a burning orb in the sky that lights up the lands, and there are foreign plants just beyond the borders of the surface town Dirtmouth. She also speaks the truth about the absence of the infection.” Xeen paused, then continued, saying “Kolan and I were formerly infected, against our will. We beg for your mercy, for our weakness in allowing such a thing to occur.”  
  
The Mantis Lords turned to each other, and began to speak to one another in low tones. Their deliberation lasted for quite awhile, long enough that Hornet found her attention drifting, but thankfully, they eventually reached a conclusion.  
  
“Xeen, Kolan. We have decided that your lives, and the lives of any other mantis who survived the infection, will be spared, so long as they did not take on the infection willingly. The traitors, on the other claw, will be hunted down without remorse.” Tang said, looking down imperiously at the two mantises. Xeen and Kolan bowed low, and Tang finished “Dismissed.”  
  
While Hornet’s travel companions walked away, the Lords focused their attention on Hornet.  
  
“Trust will have to wait until more of our own scouts verify the situation, but for the moment, we will accept that what you have told us is true.” said Lang. “That was your news. What of your request?”  
  
“The request was for the three bees and the Fool that I travelled here with to be given guest rights while I go to Deepnest to meet with the Undercourt. I will take the three spider sisters in my party with me and do not intend to bring them back onto your land. Once my business in Deepnest is concluded, I will return, and we will travel back into Deepnest to take the tramway to the Hive.”  
  
The sisters did not discuss for long this time, thankfully.  
  
“We have no objections. The guest rights will expire within a period, though, make sure your companions know this.”  
  
Hornet nodded and responded “That should be more than enough time, thank you.”  
  
Quan, who seemed to have calmed down from her earlier defeat, asked “And the idea?”  
  
Hornet paused. This was the most dangerous moment in this little meeting. She hoped her diplomacy training would be sufficient to not insult the honor of the sisters.  
  
“In times past, before the Infection, my father attempted to suborjn all the lands of Hallownest. He was able to awe, cajole, or threaten many of the bugs in Hallownest into accepting him as King. There were some groups, the Mantis among them, who did not bow to my father’s desire to center power under himself. I respect that strength.”  
  
Hornet paused, and saw that the sisters were listening raptly, though their thoughts were hidden to her. She continued “However, if all of Hallownest does not unite now, we will be weaker for it. We are in a strange, foreign kingdom, and our collective strength is greatly weakened. If we remain divided, we could be torn apart by an invading army. Even the greatest of warriors can fall to numbers, and I doubt there are more than a few thousand bugs left in Hallownest.”  
  
Quan hissed.  
  
“You would seek to do the same as your father before you! The Mantis will not bow to an outsider, we are not-”  
  
“Quan.” Tang held up a single claw, and the youngest Mantis Lord glared at her sister before settling back into her seat. The eldest then gestured back to Hornet.  
  
“Do you intend to claim rulership over the Mantis?” Tang’s voice was as full of hidden danger as the darkest pits of Deepnest.  
  
“I do not. I propose the formation of a formal alliance. The Mantis will be partners, not subjects. I also propose the formation of a council of representatives, who will each speak for their own groups, and advise me on my actions as Queen so that I may act in the best interest of all bugs. There would be certain laws and rules that would apply to the mantis, and other partners, but those would be decided by the council, not solely by myself.”  
  
There was silence throughout the room as the sisters regarded her without reaction. Lang was the first one to break the silence, saying “How... _interesting_. Your idea may have some merit...but the Mantis do not ally with those who are unworthy. The bugs of Hallownest were weaklings who grew indolent in their wealth. Do you truly think that under your rule, that they would not return to their former state?”  
  
Hornet chittered in amusement.  
  
“I have no more love for simpering nobles than you do. I also intend to take a far more active role in governing Hallownest. It should not take long for any _former_ nobles to realize that I have no time for fools with more money than sense.”  
  
The sisters gave each other considering glances, before Tang stood up.  
  
“We shall see. If this is the path that you seek, know that you must challenge us once again, to prove yourself worthy of our allyship. This time, however...you will fight myself _and_ Lang. At the same time.” Tang chittered, and her voice deepened slightly. “Do you think you’re up to the task, little spider?”  
  
Hornet brandished her needle.  
  
“I do. I challenge you!”  
  
“Very well. Lang, with me.”  
  
The battle cry of the Mantis Lords echoed throughout Hallownest once again.  


. . .

  
Link hummed to himself as he cooked.  
  
In the other room, Zelda, Impa, and several other Sheikah, along with the two Rito who were visiting the village, were discussing plans and drafting messages to send to all of the remaining population centers in Hyrule. As her appointed Knight, Link would normally never leave Zelda’s side, but Kakariko Village was the bastion of Sheikah strength, and Impa was an old friend. If Zelda wasn’t safe here, she wouldn’t be safe anywhere.  
  
Besides, he’d had a hankering for cream puffs, and it was difficult to make those on the road.  
  
As he worked, Link thought about the past, the present, and the future. He did that a lot. People sometimes assumed that, just because he was mute and rarely showed emotion, that he was slow or unobservant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Link was not a scholar like Zelda was, but he knew how to watch, and how to listen, and how to interpret situations at a glance.  
  
He knew people (Impa had a limp in her left leg that hadn’t been present a hundred years ago. Paya was attracted to him, and didn’t think herself worthy of his attention. Zelda flinched every so often when the wind blew too hard against her skin).  
  
He knew nature (it was going to rain in Kakariko tomorrow. The plums would be coming in soon. One of the trees in the village was in danger of falling and should be cut down).  
  
He knew monsters (Hit the Hinox in the eyeball. Lynels have a blind spot behind them. The neck of a Bokoblin is weak and can be easily snapped, but the noise it makes is loud and can attract attention).  
  
Link paused in his stirring and frowned. This was a peaceful time. That was not the right kind of thought to be thinking.  
  
Link resumed his work, adding butter and eggs to the dough, recentering his thoughts with an ease born of long practice at compartmentalization.  
  
Anyways. Link thought of the past, present, and future. The Hyrule of old (Mipha’s voice. Urbosa’s admonishments. Revali’s snide comments. Daruk’s joy) was different from the Hyrule of now (Teba. Riju. Yunobo. Sidon. All of his friends) and perhaps, the Hyrule of the future would be even more different.  
  
Under Zelda’s rule, it would have to be. Link had respected the old King, he _was_ a member of the Hylian Knights after all, but as Zelda’s protector...he had seen a different side of the King. He’d seen the flawed man underneath the crown. Zelda was not perfect, no, but she was different. Younger, more idealistic, more cheerful, more sympathetic to those under her. In fact, he doubted Zelda considered _anyone_ in the kingdom to be under her, not in the sense that they were lesser. Her mother had done an exceptional job in raising her.  
  
Link grunted to himself as he popped the cream puff shells into the open oven, and he checked the heat of the coals before putting in a few more pieces of wood. There. Half an hour or so, and those would be golden and crispy. Perfect vessels for the creamy filling that was currently chilling on top of a Frostblade he’d had stored inside of the Sheikah Slate.  
  
Weaponry had a surprisingly large number of applications in the kitchen.  
  
With his current task done, Link exited the kitchen to see how the work was progressing.  
  
“...the Zora have the largest formal standing military, and according to Link, he’s managed to foster goodwill with King Dorephan and the elders. It should balance out any remaining animosity they hold towards you and Hylians in general, your Highness.”  
  
Zelda nodded along as she studied a parchment map of Hyrule.  
  
“What’s the current political situation with Holodrum, Ordonia, Labrynna, Koridai, and Gamelon?”  
  
The Sheikah elder who was speaking harrumphed.  
  
“Not much to tell. Once it was clear that Ganon was trapped, but still a constant threat, most of them broke off contact with us. Ordonia at least is still friendly, and has a standing policy to accept refugees who wish to flee Hyrule. There are perhaps 10,000 former Hyruleans who emigrated to Ordonia...whether or not they can be convinced to return is up in the air.”  
  
The Sheikah elder grunted and smoothed his beard.  
  
“Holodrum and Labrynna are more distant, and largely remain an enigma. They’ve mostly ignored us for the past century. While I cannot predict the future, I’d say it’s likely that they will continue to ignore us unless we reach out to them.”  
  
Zelda nodded along, deep in thought. The elder sucked in a breath through his teeth and continued.  
  
“Koridai and Gamelon are another matter entirely. Gamelon has a somewhat troubled history with Hyrule, and that bad blood is a concern. Our most recent information says that the current Duke is embroiled in a succession crisis, though, and Gamelon has seldom been the aggressor in armed conflict. I doubt they would invade, but if you wish to make diplomatic inroads, it will take a great deal of time, effort, and money.”  
  
“That is something to consider at a later date, when we can spend those more freely.” Zelda said.  
  
The elder chuckled briefly before sobering.  
  
“The fear of Ganon runs deep in the Koridians, which kept them away, but now that he’s gone, it is likely that we’ll begin to see raiding parties. The nobles of Koridai aren’t foolish enough to face us head on, not with the Divine Beasts on our side, but they can hit coastal villages with their boats and retreat before one of the Beasts can respond. Perhaps if we used the cleansed Guardians-”  
  
“No!” snapped Princess Zelda “We may be in a tough spot, but I will never trust those machines again. Not after Ganon was so easily able to suborn them. Using the technology inside of them is fine, however. We can repurpose the heads to serve as manned turrets, and deliver them to all of the coastal villages. With luck, a few warning shots will be enough to repel any raiders. If not, we can always fly Vah Medoh over Koridai and politely ask the nobles to stop.”  
  
The Sheikah elder inclined his head.  
  
“Of course, your Highness.”  
  
Link smiled at Zelda as she went about doing what she did best, and slipped back into the kitchen to check on his cream puffs.  
  
Seeing that they weren’t quite done, Link looked out the window over Kakariko village. While rain was coming tomorrow, today it was bright and sunny. The wind smelled like fresh soil, livestock, and trees. Lovely.  
  
As he was looking out the window, Link noticed a Rito coming in to land in front of the Main Hall. A Rito he recognized.  
  
Strange. What was Fyson doing here all the way from Tarrey Town?  


. . .

  
Tang leaned back in her throne as the little spitfire of a spiderling strode into Deepnest, a silk bandage wrapped around her thorax. Tang had scored a thin line along her side, while Lang had hit her mask hard enough to leave a thin crack. Hornet had given as good as she had gotten though; Tang’s left hindleg had a deep cut, and Lang was nursing a nasty headache and had hemolymph dripping from her abdomen.  
  
Tang had yielded after her hindleg was cut open, if she lost that limb she would no longer be fit to rule, and Lang had gone down not long after. It was quite impressive, really. She hadn’t expected the spawn of the Pale King to be this proficient. But, then again, she hadn’t expected the little Knight to be that proficient either, and they had defeated her and her sisters without being hit once.  
  
It was sad that the little Knight was no more, if what Hornet said was true. They would have made an excellent mate.  
  
On that note, Tang turned to her sisters.  
  
“So...who gets to marry her?”  
  
Quan chirped in shock and turned to her sister.  
  
“Tang! She’s a foreigner!”  
  
Tang chittered and said “True, but she did just beat all three of us in combat. That kind of strength is quite enticing. And don’t think I didn’t notice you squirming under her when her needle was on your neck. Bluster all you want, but you _liked_ it, didn’t you dear sister?”  
  
Quan made a series of outraged noises before deflating. Tang could smell her reluctant agreement.  
  
Lang, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.  
  
“I’ll challenge you for the right to court her. In Mahjong.”  
  
“What! That’s not fair, you’re the best Mahjong player out of all of us! It should be needle throwing.” Quan said, crossing her forelegs petulantly.  
  
“Oh, who’s not playing fair now? How about a hunt? Whoever bags the biggest prey wins.”  
  
“Tang!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3 Hornet's got some admirers there. If you came to this story expecting heteronormativity and Western gender norms, you should probably leave. Both Breath of the Wild and Hollow Knight are already fairly queer, and I intend to expand on that. If you couldn't already tell.
> 
> Anyways. On Link's muteness. There are different kinds of non-verbal people. Those who have damaged physical bits may be unable to form most noises, but psychological or developmental issues can result in a person being unable or unwilling to speak words, but who can make sounds. Link falls into that category in this fic. Link can hum, grunt, laugh, even sing, as long as no words are involved. Link will communicate with body language or with Sheikah Sign Language, which is a series of Sheikah hand signals originally used in stealth situations but which evolved into a full non-verbal language over the centuries. All Hyruleans know at least a few words in SSL, and there's usually someone in every village who is fully fluent.
> 
> Interestingly, bugs have no concept of sign language, as hands and fingers are somewhat optional for bugs. Non-verbal bugs can communicate with scent, or in Hollow's case, terrifying Voidspeak.
> 
> Oh, and a minor change to last chapter. I chose to change the names of the Mantis Lords. They are now named after the martial art, Northern Praying Mantis, or tánglángquán. I thought it was apt.


	9. Two Knights

“You can’t be serious!? A kingdom of bugs appearing in Akkala? This is nonsense!”  
  
“Link trusts his word, and we can send scouts to investigate! Within a week’s time we’ll know the veracity of these claims. Two days if we just send Elm or Rali.”  
  
Zelda massaged her temples while the Sheikah elders continued to argue. She was still processing what the Rito, Fyson, had told her.  
  
There was a new, entirely foreign kingdom on Hyrule’s soil...or, rather, under Hyrule’s soil. It was a complete unknown, which was extremely dangerous in this precarious time. The bugs didn’t speak their language, and apparently had access to some form of mind magic. And according to Fyson, there were at least several hundred of them. There could be millions of them in caves far underground, for all they knew.  
  
Privately, Zelda wondered if this was a spiteful last act of Ganon’s. A way to make her suffer even with his defeat.  
  
“I won’t trust this claim until I’ve laid eyes on these so-called bugs myself! We have too many things to do to waste resources on what is clearly-”  
  
“Enough!”  
  
The room fell silent at Impa’s order. The chieftain had been silent during most of the meeting thus far, letting the other elders contribute information. Now though, she took center stage.  
  
“This discussion is pointless. We already have a way to verify the information brought to us by Mister Fyson.” Impa ponderously turned her gaze onto Link. “The Sheikah Slate can be used by Link to teleport to many locations across Hyrule. If I recall correctly, there is a Shrine near where this Tarrey Town is located. What’s more, the Slate can take pictures, which should quiet any remaining doubts some of us have.”  
  
Link nodded in confirmation, and unhooked the Slate from his belt. Before he did anything though, he looked at Zelda and arched an eyebrow.  
  
Zelda waved him away and said “I’ll be just here fine and you know it. Be safe, Link, and try to be back by nightfall.”  
  
Link nodded once again, and was about to leave, but then he stopped. He tucked the Sheikah Slate under his arm and signed to Zelda {There’s cream puff shells in the oven and the filling is chilling on top of one of my Frostblades. Have someone finish making them. But don’t let them eat any. Those are for you and me, Princess.}  
  
With that, Link untucked the Sheikah Slate and was soon dissipating into a cloud of blue particles. A potential country of alien bugs was no reason to let his hard work in the kitchen go to waste.  


. . .

  
Hornet crept through Deepnest, the three spider sisters behind her. Her ancestral home was as claustrophobic and unpleasant as ever; not even the absence of the Infection had changed that. The only difference was that there were slightly less wild bugs trying to eat them.  
  
There was a loud crunching noise from behind her, and Hornet ignored it. If one of the sisters wanted to eat on the move, it was no business of hers. She was well used to it, even if she preferred her own food unmoving and fully cooked.  
  
They moved in complete silence. Sound was just one more way for the predators of Deepnest to find their prey.  
  
Thankfully, it didn’t take them long to reach Spider territory. Soon enough, Hornet and the sisters were ducking into the Midwife’s preferred cave, and Hornet called out for her.  
  
“Midwife? Are you there?”  
  
There was silence for a long moment, then, there came the sound of scuttling legs.  
  
“Hoh? The little Princess has returned. Mmm, yes. Not so little now, mmm? Bigger. Stronger. _Tastier_.”  
  
There was rapid movement, above and to her left. Hornet gripped her needle and spun around. The sharpened tip pointed directly at one of Midwife’s eyes through the slits in her mask.  
  
“Aah? She has not forgotten how to show her fangs? Mmm, yes, good. How have you been, dearie?” the Midwife asked, already acting like she hadn’t tried to eat Hornet.  
  
Hornet repressed any outward emotion with the ease of long practice and relaxed her hold on her needle, though she kept the tip pointed in the Midwife’s general direction.  
  
“I’ve come to meet with the Undercourt. Whatever is left of it.”  
  
The Midwife hummed in thought as she reclined onto a web covered rock. Ibis, Ibex, and Ibik moved to sit beside her.  
  
“Yes, yes, I know that. Gossip moves fast, hmm? What news, what news! The Infection gone, a strange new world, and dear Herrah’s daughter ready to take the throne. Oh, it does this old heart good to see you come into your prime!” The Midwife chittered, then hummed in thought and said “As for the old court, well, not too many of us are left, dearie. There’s a single elder Weaver in the ruins of their old den. The Mask Maker too, lives near the borders to the Gardens. I’ll send some of my children to invite them over. In the meantime, do you want to stay for dinner, dearie? I’m sure I can scrounge up something for us to eat.”  
  
“No. I’ll be waiting at the Beast’s Den. We’ll hold this meeting of the Undercourt in the amphitheatre.” With that, Hornet turned to leave. She didn’t look back, but she did keep her needle pointed behind her in a reverse grip.  
  
Appearance and deception was everything in Deepnest.  


. . .

  
Link looked down at the bug village from the cliffs of Tarrey Town. He’d already met with Hudson, Rhondson, and Granté to get their impressions of their neighbors. Granté in particular had been informative, as he had been the one to ‘speak’ with the Hollow Knight.  
  
Honestly, at this point his mission was completed. He had verified everything that Fyson had claimed. He had pictures of the village taken from Tarrey Town. There wasn’t any real need to delay any longer.  
  
...but, well, Zelda had said to return to Kakariko by _nightfall_. It would still be a few hours before the sun set, and Link enjoyed exploring and meeting new people. The bugs had been, if not friendly, then at least neutral when Hudson’s group had visited, according to Granté.  
  
Mind made up, Link retrieved his paraglider from the Sheikah Slate and began gliding down to the little village.  
  
He was spotted long before entering the village proper. By the time he landed, there was already a group of bugs assembled to greet him.  
  
They were a diverse bunch. One was tiny, 4 feet tall at most, with large black eyes and small antenna. Link thought they looked like a fly. One was slightly larger, around Link’s height, and looked old. They had horns, and Link cautiously identified them as some kind of beetle. The last bug was the largest, and had some sort of shell-turban on their head. Or perhaps it was part of their head? Link didn’t know, and their long cloak and turban obscured almost all of their features.  
  
Link raised a hand and waved. The bugs looked at each other briefly.  
  
“ _Nah minobis. Ma’churo, ehbemin emel?_ ”  
  
Ah, yes. The language barrier. How intriguing.  
  
Link attempted to sign a few words at the bugs, but they didn’t visibly react much aside from muttering to each other.  
  
Pity. Still, he had expected as much, and he was quite good at charades. A visual aid could help though.  


. . .

  
“What are they doing?” asked Sly, cocking his head to the side. “Do you think this is another way of communicating? Or perhaps they are trying to use SOUL?”  
  
Confessor Jiji chirped as she looked closer at the Highest Ruler in front of them.  
  
“No, I don’t think so. Their SOUL is strong, incredibly so, but it does not bear the marks of those who use SOUL in any active fashion. Though there is more there…” Jiji leaned even closer and said “What’s this? There are four imprints on this one’s SOUL, and each one pulses with power all its own. Fascinating! This one has many regrets as well, though they have come to terms with them. The soul is also old, yet young at the same time...most unusual. I will have to study the SOULs of more of these hy’leens.”  
  
Elderbug studied the visitor as well, and noticed that they had stopped their hand movements and retrieved some sort of object from their abdomen (or was it their thorax? These beings didn’t have much distinction between them).  
  
When the object lit up and showed an image of Dirtmouth from a distance, Elderbug took in a sharp breath through his spiracles.  
  
“Oh my! What is this strange device? This looks like something the Archivists would come up with. It can display images and store them?”  
  
The hy’leen (or was it Highest Ruler?) pointed to the image of Dirtmouth, then to themselves. They then walked off a short distance, towards the village, then came back, and pointed to a different picture of Dirtmouth, and walked off again before returning.  
  
Sly was the first one to puzzle out their meaning.  
  
“I think they’re asking if they can walk around Dirtmouth.”  
  
Elderbug scratched at his elytra and considered it. The stranger was alone, and looked quite small. They had no visible weapons, and Confessor Jiji had said that they couldn’t use SOUL. They seemed friendly enough.  
  
“I see no harm in it. But someone should keep an eye on them, for their own safety. I don’t know all of the bugs that Ogrim brought up from Hallownest, and some of them have a mean look about them. I wouldn’t want our visitor to get hurt.”  
  
Sly shrugged.  
  
“I have things to sell to all these new customers, and I’m too old to grubsit anyways. Why don’t you tell that tall bug that came with the Princess to look after them? Last I saw Hollow, they weren’t doing anything anyways, and idle claws don’t earn Geo.”  
  
Elderbug turned to talk to Sly about that, but the diminutive shopkeeper was already gone. He instead turned to Jiji to get their opinion.  
  
“It’s none of my business, but the tall one looked quite capable of defending this hy’leen. Their wounds are bound and don’t seem to trouble them at all, and they are quite frightening, if I do say so myself. Sly’s idea has merit.”  
  
Elderbug sighed and nodded.  
  
“I’ll go speak with them, then. Oh, and can you remind those squabbling nobles that we are assigning housing based on need, not on former class or Geo.”  
  
Jiji chittered and said “It will be my pleasure, elder.”  
  
Elderbug then turned back to the patiently waiting hy’leen and gestured with his claw.  
  
“Come, young one.”  


. . .

  
Link stared at the Hollow Knight. The Hollow Knight stared at Link.  
  
[I̴̥̦̐d̶̻̎̋ė̴͖̇ṇ̴̾̕t̵̡̑͝i̸͉͑̂f̵̡̅i̶͕͛͜c̵͎͒̓a̴͇̓͠t̷̗̓̑i̶͇̼̓͑o̷̝̽͌n̷̞̅?̷͚̓]  
  
Ah. That was quite disorienting, Granté had spoken the truth. But Link was used to strange things. Honestly, this didn’t even crack his top 3. He stared the much, _much_ taller bug in their empty eyes and tried to **will** his thoughts forward.  
  
[Link. I am the protector of Princess Zelda, who is, or will be, the regent of this land, Hyrule. And you are the Hollow Knight?]  
  
[A̸͎̓͘f̶͓̐f̸̩̓͝į̶̹̓̃r̷̤̋m̶̗͎͒ä̷̰̮t̵̰͙̓̃ĭ̶̼͚͆o̶̬̝͋͋n̸̺͍̓.̸̦̜̔̉ ̷̛͙́G̷̮̎̚r̶͎̾e̸͔̻͛͛ȩ̷̿͆t̷͙̳́i̴̤̱͛n̷̼͘g̴̱̗͛̒s̷͔͔̒̑,̵͇̮͛ ̴͉͈̊̎L̵͉̅̈́ị̷̄̋n̴̜̽͝k̵͓̕.̴̬͠ ̷̮̆͛Q̷͚̎u̵̇́͜ẹ̸͓͛̔s̵̖t̶̝̕ĭ̷̩o̴̞͇͑n̶͉̜̾̏:̷̘͔̈́ ̸̮͝P̶̻͈̄̀ũ̴̳̝r̷̢̭̂̚p̷̡̚ͅõ̶̜̉s̸̢̯͑͌ě̴̝ͅ?̵̲̋]  
  
Link took a few moments to parse that.  
  
[I’m just here to explore. We wanted to know about our new neighbors, what they’re like, why they’re here, and where they came from. We wanted to know if you were friends or foes.]  
  
The Hollow Knight cocked their head at Link.  
  
[Ȉ̶̮͐n̴̪̬̔t̷͙̘̓é̸̢r̷̳̿ȇ̴͈s̵̟̪̀̓t̸̹̓.̵̺̲̉ ̵̤̉Ḁ̴̎̉g̵̻̎͝r̵͉̭̚ė̷̲̞̄e̶̦̼̐͠m̵̗̺̊͋ė̸͚̌n̵̼͆t̴̟̳̕.̷̟̈́ ̸̣͐̒F̴̭̪̍r̵̮̰̈́͊i̴̧̍̐ͅe̵̜̱͗ň̴͖d̴̦͖̅̏?̵͎̠͂͒]  
  
Link smiled up at Hollow, his hands on his hips.  
  
[Yes, friends. Excellent. Would you tell me about this place, please?]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter is over, let's talk timekeeping in Hallownest.
> 
> As you may have noticed, I've been very careful not to use any recognizable time terminology for Hallownest. I might have slipped up once or twice (please point out any places I did so) but I wanted the bugs to not use standard seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc. There's a reason for this; Hallownest doesn't have a sun. Or, rather, the planet that Hallownest is on is tidally locked.
> 
> What this means is that one half of the planet is being constantly baked by the sun, while the other half is freezing cold. Hallownest itself is in the thin strip between the two sides, which is why it's liveable (though Hallownest is closer to the freezing side which is why it's so dark and the wastes outside are cold grey desert). This is also why Hallownest's sky is in a state of perpetual twilight; the sun is busy sterilizing half the planet, and Hallownest is just close enough to get a tiny bit of scattered light.
> 
> This lack of a cultural time touchstone has caused Hallownest, and most other bug civilzations (that are all also in the strip between burning and freezing), to not really have formalized time-keeping. Broadly, time doesn't matter. Bugs listen to their internal circadian rhythms, and have very broad terms for everything else time related. A short time is a moment. Several days is a period. And a few months is a cycle. You may remember that Hornet mentioned that Hollow contained the Infection for fifty cycles. Fifty cycles is around 10 years. I will be creating a more detailed timeline for Hallownest in the near future using this newly created scale.


	10. Deepnest and Deep Thoughts

Hornet leaned against a rough stone wall, needle in hand, as she observed the members of the Undercourt. Her tale had just concluded, now to gauge their reactions.  
  
Midwife was to her right, with the three sisters Hornet had travelled with beside her. The mercurial matron was settled onto a nest of webbing, and was idly knitting some form of clothing; a cloak, perhaps? Hornet wasn’t fooled by the act, she knew that the older spider’s attention remained focused on the others in the room. This was just an old game of hers that she kept up out of amusement.  
  
To Hornet’s left was an elder Weaver who had refused to give their name. They were flanked by two little Weavers, and all three silently studied the assembled bugs. Hornet was glad to see that the Weavers were not entirely gone from Hallownest. She had always liked visiting them in their Den. Though, she wondered if they would be upset that they were now cut off from the remainder of their kin? Hornet didn’t know.  
  
Directly across from Hornet was the Mask Maker, who was uncharacteristically silent. Not even Hornet knew what the elderly spider was thinking behind his mask. The Mask Maker had ever been an odd and inscrutable member of the Undercourt, valued and feared for his wisdom and insight. Hornet hoped that he would have some of that wisdom to offer up in this unprecedented scenario.  
  
Midwife was the first to speak, her knitting not slowing down for a moment.  
  
“Well, how interesting, dearie. Of course, we already knew most of this, word travels fast along the web, mmm. But still, it is good to hear the full story straight from the Princess’ mouth. Yes, yes, very good.”  
  
The Mask Maker was the next to speak, head cocking to the side slightly.  
  
“A new truth. An altered fate. So much to learn. So many masks to make. So little time.” the Mask Maker paused, then said “My time is nearly here. I will train another to discern between truth and lies. Perhaps they will be found in this new land. Perhaps not. Who can say? I am glad to have seen the end of the infection, at least.”  
  
The Weaver, seeing that the Mask Maker had finished talking, simply said “Yes. I will miss my kin, but this is a new opportunity for the Weavers. We shall see what the future has in store for us.”  
  
Hornet nodded and pushed off of the wall.  
  
“I intend to reclaim my father’s throne. I want to unite all of the bugs of Hallownest behind a common goal. However, I do not intend to set myself up as an all powerful god-king like my father did. Nor do I want to rule Deepnest like my mother did.”  
  
Hornet knew that she had the undivided attention of the members of the Undercourt now. Midwife had even halted her knitting.  
  
“I give to Deepnest the same offer I gave to the Mantis. One of formal alliance. Deepnest will remain largely separate from the main kingdom. There will be some laws and taxes that apply to all, but these would be decided by a council of the allied territories. I would not have sole jurisdiction over them. I also wish for the Undercourt to rule Deepnest in my stead.”  
  
Midwife let out a surprised chitter at that and said “You renounce Herrah’s claim? Oh my...I would have thought you intended to claim her position, dearie.”  
  
Hornet shook her head.  
  
“If I am to be Queen of Hallownest, I cannot give Deepnest the attention it needs. I would neglect the place of my birth, and in turn, Deepnest would turn against me. No...it would be better, for Deepnest, and the kingdom as a whole, if Deepnest rules itself, with minimal interference from me.”   
  
Hornet paused, then let out a low hiss and said “But do not forget. I am a spider too. I am of Herrah’s blood, and I remember my mother’s lessons well. Disloyalty and betrayal will not be tolerated. If you become the ally of Hallownest in this new land, then you will garner the benefits. If you try and stab me through the back, then there will be consequences. This may be my birthplace, but I would sooner flood these tunnels with fire and death than let Hallownest fall once more.”  
  
A thick tension filled the air at Hornet’s words. Midwife, the Weaver, and the Mask Maker were silent, before the Mask Maker began to chitter loudly in amusement.  
  
“Ah! A truth! A bold truth, and told so openly! Refreshing, yes; I regret that I will not live to see all of your rule, your Highness. Mmm. I agree to this plan.”  
  
The Weaver studied Hornet for a long moment before nodding.  
  
“We have more to gain through working together than staying apart. The Weavers will stand with you, your Highness.”  
  
Midwife held up the completed article of clothing (a silver cloak, with embroidered designs of shells) and passed it off to Ibis. Her mask then split in half, allowing Hornet to see her true face beneath.  
  
“Such words from the little princess, hmm? There is a part of me that wonders if she can back them up, but do not fret. Betrayal is so very staid, I am too old for it. Very well, _your Highness_. Deepnest will stand with you in allyship.”  


. . .

  
Cornifer hummed happily to himself as he worked on his latest map, the light of the burning orb blocked by a tall brown stalk with moss-like growths. It was the first map of this new land drawn by his claw. Oh, how exciting!  
  
There were so many new places to see and sketch, so many places that weren’t dull grey desert and scoured rock. In every direction was some new fascinating place. He could barely wait to get to them all!  
  
One thing at a time though. With a stroke of his claw, Cornifer finished off the addition to the map and let it rest on his lap to dry. He was tempted to place it in the direct light from the burning orb to dry faster, but he wasn’t sure how the light would interact with the uoma ink. It would be better to test it out on something less valuable than his precious maps.  
  
Cornifer withdrew a fresh piece of silkpaper from his satchel and doodled some simple pictures of Iselda, then placed the paper in a spot of direct light near where he was sitting. There; now he could test the effect of the light.  
  
With that done, and no more mapping left to do while the one on his lap dried, Cornifer studied his surroundings. Beyond the shade of his stalk, teams of bugs were walking around the area, studying everything they came across. Cornifer saw one bug nibbling on a piece of the brown stalk before spitting it out, and another picking up small stones to tuck them into a bag.  
  
Iselda walked up to where Cornifer was sitting and flopped down beside him.  
  
“Well, here we all are, roaming around randomly all on the orders of someone who didn’t even ask us if we wanted to do so.” Iselda huffed in annoyance and leaned her head against Conifer. “I never wanted a leadership position. Ugh.”  
  
Cornifer laughed quietly and stroked his wife’s antenna.  
  
“I think the Queen, Princess, whatever she is, is just trying to do her best with what she’s been given. And do you think that anyone in Dirtmouth is better at exploring than we are?”  
  
Iselda gave her husband a fond, if exasperated look.  
  
“You’re the one who’s good at mapping. I got stuck with selling things at the shop.” Iselda said, stretching her legs out.  
  
Cornifer ceased his petting of Iselda’s antenna and said “And I’m very glad you did so. Thanks to the little knight, we made enough Geo to save up a decent nest egg.”  
  
Iselda grunted.  
  
“A pity we can’t just buy maps from our neighbors. It’d be so much faster than doing it-” Iselda sat straight upright and said “Hang on, why are _we_ the ones doing our own mapping when we can just buy some from the beings that _already_ live here?”  
  
Cornifer crossed his forelegs and grumbled.  
  
“But that takes all the fun out of it Izzy! Besides, I don’t think they’ll accept Geo as currency.”  
  
Iselda stood up and began pacing, excitement increasingly evident in her frame.  
  
“We won’t know until we ask! Besides, they know just as little about us as we know about them. We could trade them copies of the maps you made of Hallownest, Corny!”  
  
Cornifer mulled that over for a few moments before he sighed.  
  
“No, you’re right, Izzy. I shouldn’t be selfish, the Queen tasked us with finding out more about this new land. The easiest and fastest way to do that is to trade for it with those who already know this land.” Cornifer paused, then perked up and said “An just because we’ll get their maps doesn’t mean we can’t make our own and explore on our own. We still have to write them in our language, and make our own notes. Really, they will just be more of a helpful guide.”  
  
Iselda chittered and offered a claw to Cornifer, who took it. Cornifer rolled up the now dried map and tucked it into his satchel, then retrieved the silkpaper he’d placed in direct light. The ink looked to be nicely dried, and while the paper was warm, it seemed unharmed.  
  
“Ah, excellent. This should speed things up.” Cornifer said, then he called out “Hey! We’re going to go up to the foreign town to see if we can buy or trade for maps! Albreh is in charge until we return!”  
  
The working bugs paused, and Albreh, a rotund weevil, responded “Alright. Do you want someone to come with you?”  
  
Cornifer waved him off.  
  
“No need. Iselda is adept with her nail, and I’m no stranger to escaping from sticky situations. We’ll be fine. Keep up the good work while we’re gone.”  
  
And with that, the map-maker and his wife began walking towards the short mountain in the distance.  


. . .

  
Link took another picture with the Sheikah Slate, making sure to capture the bugs in motion as they talked in that strange language of theirs. It would help to bring back evidence that they were not only intelligent, but also friendly.  
  
He’d already taken several dozen such pictures. The bugs didn’t quite seem to know what he was doing, and kept on staring at him, but the presence of the Hollow Knight beside him apparently gave him some form of legitimacy.  
  
Speaking of the Hollow Knight, Link’s thoughts turned to the strange, tall bug. He had been studying his temporary companion off and on as he explored the village. The Hollow Knight was, first of all, very tall. Link doubted that Sidon would even reach up to the bug’s mid-chest (or mid-thorax, he supposed). They also were missing an arm, and had bandages (silk, he noted) wrapped around various parts of their body. They had been in a fight recently, but their arm was long since healed and came from an older wound.  
  
There was also the matter of their thought-speech. If Link had to compare it to something he was familiar with, he would say it was most like the ‘words’ he heard whenever he prayed at a statue to Hylia. It was words that weren’t, combining feelings and thoughts into something more pure and primal. Though, the Hollow Knight’s speech lacked the ‘feelings’, and seemed to be pure thought. A sort of...conceptual psychic link, Princess Zelda would likely call it.  
  
It wasn’t his area of expertise. The Hollow Knight had a way to communicate with Link, and even if that method mangled some of the conversation, it was still better than charades and guesswork. That was good enough for Link.  
  
Looking at the sky, Link saw that the sun was setting, and he grunted. He would need to be going; a pity, he did love to explore new places. He hadn’t even gotten to go down into the Kingdom of Hallowed Nest proper!  
  
Ah well. Zelda would want to visit this place in the near future to meet with the bugs herself. He could explore then.  
  
Link turned to the Hollow Knight and stared into their empty eyes.  
  
[It’s getting late. I need to return to my Princess. Thank you for walking with me around Dirtmouth.]  
  
[Ǘ̷̩̋̕n̷̨̛̳̤̔͊ḏ̵̰̙̎e̶͈̼̞̅͠r̶͕̫͠ŝ̵̬̑ẗ̸̩̹́a̸̦̲͆ͅn̷̫̕ḑ̴̜͒͑͝i̶̘̬̒̚n̴͖͓̏̎̚g̵̱̖̦̔͗.̸̮̼̾͂̄ ̷̫̼͆͂̃S̵̺͗á̷̪̥͑̈́ͅd̷̤͙̫̍̊n̶͙̳̱̽e̴̺͕̅͛̈͜s̴̡̫̬s̵͚̾͌͝.̴̞̭͖̐̅ ̷̜̈Q̸̞͚̺̿u̶͖͗ẽ̴̱́͝r̸̹̫̍̈́̍y̷̳͓̿̏͝:̶̱̉ ̴̟̻͊̊R̸̭̜͊e̷͚͓̥͋̈́̓t̵̪̒̋u̴̧̗͇̇͛͝ř̷̟ṋ̶̨̞͠?̸͎̥̬͒̈́]  
  
[Oh, I’m sure she’ll want to come by soon enough. She loves to learn new things. It won’t be long until I see you again, Hollow. Until next time.]  
  
Link flipped through the menus on his Slate until he reached the map and navigated to Kakariko Village. As he was dissipating into blue threads, Link waved goodbye to Hollow.  
  
As he was currently discorporated and already halfway to Dirtmouth, Link wasn’t around to hear the shocked gasps and chitters from the bugs who saw him leave. They soon began gossiping about the strange hy’leen who had vanished into thin air.  
  
Hollow, meanwhile, stared at the spot where Link had formerly stood, thinking. They were curious; that hadn’t felt or looked like SOUL teleportation. Could it be Essence? It was blue. Perhaps the people of these lands had found a way to travel using the power of Lifeblood.  
  
What strange beings. Their minds were different than bugs minds. More defined. Link’s mind had been more different than any of the others. Focused. Sharp. Like Sibling Hornet’s.  
  
Hollow wondered when Link would return. They allowed themselves to wonder. They allowed themselves to feel anticipation.  
  
It was nice, being able to ~~do not~~ think and ~~do not~~ feel. They were ~~a failure and a disgrace to the kingdom~~ they were free, Sibling Hornet had said so.  
  
Hollow allowed themself to feel happiness at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading the chapter, now let's talk about the usage and capabilities of Sheikah tech.
> 
> I think it's fairly clear from what we've seen of BotW that Sheikah tech is not pure technology, it is magitech. Zelda in general is a soft magic world, with no clearly defined rules for what magic can and can't do, which somewhat complicates things, because we don't know what the limitations Sheikah tech then are. Just in the Slate alone we've got teleportation, pocket dimension storage, high definition cameras, a fully functional GPS map, the ability to STOP TIME, the ability to lift several tons of magnetic material, the ability to freeze huge blocks of ice, and the ability to create bombs out of nothing ad infinium.
> 
> Outside of the Slate, we've got the Guardians, which are fully functional autonomous robots with frikkin lasers. We've got hard light weapons, shields, and arrows. We've got levitation from the Shrines, along with all sorts of mechanisms like conveyor belts and fans. We've got thousand-ton stone behemoths in the Divine Beasts, each of which have their own abilities. And we've got the time travel from Age of Calamity.
> 
> Yeah...I'm being VERY careful in how I integrate Sheikah Tech into widespread use, because this stuff has the potential to completely break the setting. So don't expect to see bugs running around with Slates of their own...ever. Tech progression will happen but it is gonna happen slowly, after years or decades.


	11. Coin Counting

Hornet moved deeper into Deepnest, away from the Mantis Village, accompanied by three bees and one Fool. Thankfully, none of them had caused trouble while staying in the Mantis Village during her trip to see the Undercourt, though the Crusher had apparently sparred with a few of the mantises. He was still alive, that was all that Hornet cared about.  
  
During the retrieval of her companions, Quan had attempted to intimidate her. The much taller mantis had stepped into Hornet’s space, stared her down, and told her that she was welcome back in the Village anytime.   
  
Hornet had glared back just as readily and responded that she would be delighted to visit again. She knew how the game was played, and the mantis’ attempt at doublespeak was honestly quite clumsy. Quan would have to try harder than that to assert her dominance.   
  
A Dirtcarver popped up from the ground and dived at her, and Hornet lazily skewered it and threw it to the side. Dumb beasts. They never learned.  
  
The motley crew continued, and soon they came to a pit that descended into lightless depths. Hornet stopped at the edge of the pit, and gestured to her companions.  
  
“Alright. I know that Deepnest is unpleasant for those who aren’t used to these environs, but we’re almost to our destination. At the bottom of this pit is a hot spring, then it’s just a quick journey to the tram station. We can rest while we’re riding the tram, it’s a lengthy trip. Then we’ll stop off at the Hive, where I’ll speak to what is left of the Bee Hivemind, and after that the only thing left is to climb to the Colosseum of Fools. Then our journey together will be complete.”  
  
None of Hornet’s companions responded to that. The bees were clearly terrified of Deepnest, and the Crusher seldom spoke. Hornet felt slightly awkward at the silence, and just opted to jump into the pit and let herself freefall.  
  
She still needed some practice at talking to other bugs. It had been a long time since she’d needed the ability to hold a conversation. Though, to be fair, her current companions weren’t exactly up to the task.  
  
Maybe she could practice with Hollow or Ogrim?  


. . .

  
Rhondson sat at Fyson’s market stall in the comforting warmth of the setting sun, her eyes closed. It was a new experience for her; in the Gerudo Desert, the sun was the enemy. It burned from on high in its place in the sky, and could easily be fatal if one was caught in the desert unprepared. Not that many Gerudo ever were unprepared, they were taught from childhood how to survive the desert, but still. The sun wasn’t something to be enjoyed in her birthplace.  
  
Here in Akkala though, the warmth was to be savored. Even though it was late spring, the mornings were colder than they were in the desert, sometimes even to the point where she found icicles hanging from her eaves. On otherwise tolerable days, the wind could bring a deep chill that stripped the warmth from her bones, and the rains were even worse. Rhondson both dreaded and anticipated what winter would bring.  
  
Rhondson heard a rising murmur and opened her eyes to see what all the fuss was about. She froze upon seeing two bugs entering Tarrey Town, the one bug that she had first met and his...whatever she was. Wife? Sister? Mother? Clearly they were close, and Rhondson didn’t much care to dwell on it.  
  
The bugs looked around and (Din be cursed, of course they did) they immediately headed in her direction. Rhondson swallowed the instinctual surge of distaste and steeled herself. She may not like them, or trust them, but Tarrey Town was a tolerant, diverse community, and she’d give them a fair chance to prove themselves. Even if they _were_ giant insects that made her skin crawl and used demon-damned _mind magics_.  
  
The short male bug, who was around the same height as her husband, stood directly in front of the table, while the tall female bug, who was Moblin sized, stood behind him. Rhondson didn’t miss that the tall bug had a good grip on the long, needle-like sword at her side, and Rhondson felt grudging approval.  
  
“Yes?” Rhondson asked brusquely. She was giving them a chance, that didn’t mean she had to be polite. Besides, it wasn’t like they understood her words anyways.  
  
The short bug reached into the satchel on his back and withdrew a roll of paper (it wasn’t like any paper or parchment she was familiar with, too white and it didn’t make any noise when he unrolled it). The paper was placed on an empty section of the market stall usually reserved for Rupee counting, and Rhondson leaned over to see it.  
  
It was a drawing...of something. Lots of lines and doodles that she didn’t recognize, some very strange symbols that almost looked like magic seals. So many rectangles connected together...Rhondson’s eyes widened. It was a map! Of course, the kingdom was underground, it wouldn’t make sense to have topographical maps like they used in Hyrule.  
  
With that information, Rhondson began looking over the map with a fresh eye. The individual groupings of rectangles must be individual floors, then. Dotted lines connected different groupings together, signifying paths between floors. Rhondson spotted repeating symbols which looked rather like the houses in the bug village, possibly population centers.  
  
Rhondson looked up at the silent bug who stood in front of the stall and arched an eyebrow.  
  
“Yes, very nice. Is there a reason you’re showing me a map?”  
  
The bug reached down and tapped on the map and said “ _Ne meta’lo. Lu cherek, ema, hy’rool._ ”  
  
The bug then gestured around at the surrounding land, then reached into his satchel and retrieved another piece of paper. This one was blank. He tapped on the blank piece of paper and gestured to the surrounding land again.  
  
It took another minute of pantomiming, but Rhondson thought she caught on. They wanted to buy or trade for a map of Hyrule. Well, giant bugs they may be, but they were also customers. Though...Fyson didn’t sell maps. No one in town did, maps were preciously guarded things used mainly by travellers. The stable owners sold maps at a hefty price, but it was a half-days ride to either one of the Akkala stables from Tarrey Town.  
  
Maybe she could tell the bugs to go buy one from the stable owners? That would be a difficult thing to get across with the language barrier. Rhondson thought about the problem, then snapped her fingers. The bugs looked intrigued by the gesture, and whispered to each other. Rhondson ignored them, and cupped her hands around her mouth.  
  
“ **Granté, get over here, some bugs want a map of Hyrule!** ”  
  
Rhondson heard a thump from Granté’s nearby home and smirked. A few minutes later, the Sheikah emerged and enthusiastically bustled over to the market stall. Trust the egghead to have some spare maps lying around. Or maybe this was his only map and he was just that excited about trading with the bugs.  
  
“Ah, excellent. Here we are. It’s an older map, made during the Age of Burning Fields, but it should be fine for their purposes...oh my, what’s this?” Granté leaned in to see the bug’s map as the bug accepted the Hyrule map in turn. Both began to look them over and muttered to themselves. Rhondson tuned them out, and turned her attention to the tall bug.  
  
The female had come around to stand at the market stall beside her companion and reached into her own satchel. She withdrew a pouch, and Rhondson heard it clinking.  
  
“ _Corn’eefer, moden tib bada’ulana. Nes meet’allo se dala geo eneka, das hy’leen geo._ ”  
  
The bug’s map was extracted from Granté’s hands (with some protest from the Sheikah) and was placed on the table alongside the map of Hyrule. The short bug then placed a sheaf of other pieces of paper on top of the first paper, and from the looks of the topmost piece, they were all maps. There had to be at least a dozen of them in the stack.  
  
The short bug tapped on the Hyrule map and said “ _Hy’rool? De’chakugan Hy’rool?_ ”  
  
Oh, he was saying Hyrule. Rhondson nodded. Yes, that was a map of Hyrule.  
  
The short bug then tapped on the pile of maps and said “ _Hallo’nees. De’chakugan Halo’nees._ ”  
Granté squinted his eyes, then gasped.  
  
“I think he’s saying that that is a complete map of the kingdom!”  
  
Rhondson blinked, then nodded. That made sense.  
  
The tall bug then reached into her pouch and began to draw out something that definitely wasn’t Rupees. Rhondson inspected them as they were either placed on top of the map pile or off to the side. They looked like some kind of shell, very organic in shape, but they were metallic and reflected the orange light of the setting sun quite enticingly. There were four different kinds that Rhondson could see coming out of the pouch; a small silver, a large silver, a small gold, and a large gold. Rhondson wondered if the small gold or the large silver was worth more.  
  
The tall bug finished counting out her foreign currency, then gestured to the map of Hyrule.  
  
“ _Hy’leen geo, dasada?_ ”  
  
Oh. That one was easy to parse.  
  
Rhondson turned to Granté, who had already realized the same thing and was counting out Rupees on the table from his own pouch.  
  
“Let’s see...it’s an older map, so not up to date, but it is colorized, and professionally made by Folin the Mapmaker before he died. Nice, durable parchment too. I’d say maybe...500?”  
  
Rhondson shrugged and said “I don’t know maps, but that sounds fair. Though, isn’t it kinda unfair for them? They have a bunch of maps, and we have only one on our end.”  
  
Granté shrugged as well.  
  
“I have no idea. We’ll need to figure out an exchange rate, see if we have any mutual items to base it off of. Maybe food, that’s always a good metric for value. However much the average bug eats in a day, calculated into their currency, versus however much the average Hyrulean eats in a day in Rupees. It won’t be perfect, but it should come close.”  
  
Rhondson grunted and noticed that the short bug had picked up the single gold Rupee that Granté had put down, and he moved it over to the metal shells. He picked up a large gold shell and looked at them, then placed them down in their previous positions. He then picked up a small silver, and said “ _Inu geo._ ” He held up one claw.  
  
“Oh, of course. He’s asking about denominations.” Granté said, and he slid a green Rupee over the table and placed it in front of the short bug.  
  
“One rupee.”  
  
The bug clapped his hands in delight and slid a large silver in front of him, then slid five small silvers into a line under it.  
  
“ _Efai geo._ ”  
  
Granté, smiled splitting her face, repeated the gesture with a blue Rupee and five greens.  
  
“Five rupees.”  
  
Rhondson watched with interest as this continued. The small golds (geo?) were apparently worth 25, while the large golds were worth 100. She did some quick math in her head. The pile of maps was worth 1300 (ten large golds, ten small golds, and ten large silvers. She wondered why the insistence on ten of each denomination. Maybe it was a cultural thing?).  
  
They still had no real basis for knowing what that number meant though. Maps were rare in Hyrule, but they could be incredibly easy to make for the bugs. Rhondson turned to Granté, who was inspecting a large silver geo closely, and asked “Do you think the map of Hyrule is equivalent to their maps in value?”  
  
Granté chewed on his lip for a moment before he said “They’re well made. I’m not an expert, but I’d say it’s a fair trade if we throw in a local map of Akkala. But, wait...are we trading, or buying?”  
  
Rhondson considered the maps and the piles of money, and tapped her chin.  
  
“I think it’s our choice. They seem to consider the maps equivalent. So we could likely just trade them, without paying with Rupees. But it also might not be a bad idea to get our hands on some of their geo.” Rhondson gestured at the shells and said “They’ve been here for two days now, and we’re already trading. We’re so close together, we’re going to be trading in the future. In the future, we can work out a real exchange rate based on food like you said earlier.”  
  
Granté nodded in agreement, and he withdrew a map of Akkala and placed it on top of the map of Hyrule, then slid the gold Rupee and the two silver ones on top. He then added a purple Rupee and slid the entire thing over towards the bug. He gestured over the two piles of maps and money and stuck out his hand.  
  
“Deal?”  
  
The small bug looked at the hand, then gingerly reached out and grasped it with his claws. Granté shook twice, and the bugs studied the movement intensely.  
  
“ _Agama._ ”  
  
The small bug picked up the four Rupees and handed them to his companion, then he picked up the maps and placed them into his satchel. Rhondson moved the geo over to where she sat and Granté grabbed the bug maps.  
  
The two bugs then nodded to them and turned away. Their business in Tarrey Town was seemingly concluded.  
  
Granté held the maps in his hands with an almost feverish glee, and he began walking away.  
  
“Fascinating, so this connects to here...and this symbol looks like...is that a stag beetle head?”  
  
Rhondson watched the Sheikah go with no little amusement, then turned to the pile of 1300 geo before her. What strange currency...but still, money was money, and it had been a worthy trade, in her opinion. And Granté had even walked off without collecting the money that he had earned for selling his own maps!  
  
Rhondson chuckled as she began sweeping the geo into an empty pouch, and reminded herself to drop it off at Granté’s house later.  
  
No matter how much she kind of wanted to see how long it’d take him to realize that he’d never got his money.  


. . .

  
Zelda was having dinner with Impa and Impa’s granddaughter (Paya, and wasn’t it strange to consider that her former friend had gotten married and had children) when Link returned. She exhaled, letting the coiled spring of worry that she’d held since he left relax. She didn’t doubt Link’s abilities, not at all, but she had come to care for her bodyguard (if she was being honest with herself, she did more than just _care_ about him). These bugs were something new, something unexpected, and that could potentially be very dangerous.  
  
But, Link looked unharmed, and not upset in any way, so things were probably fine.  
  
“You took your time. It’s nearly dark. Are you hungry?”  
  
Link gave her a _look_ at that, and she giggled. Link sat down on an available cushion on the floor and began filling up a plate with the food in the middle of the table.  
  
Zelda kept her curiosity at bay as they all ate; this was not the time to hold a debrief, it would be quite rude, and if the situation was urgent, Link would have told her. However, the minute that Link leaned back and patted his stomach in contentment, Zelda leaned forwards.  
  
“Link. What did you see?”  
  
Link unhooked his Sheikah Slate and passed it to her.  
  
{Look at these first, then I’ll give my report.}  
  
Zelda flicked through with growing wonder at the pictures within. It was all true. Bugs of all shapes and sizes, round, shell-like houses, and two new mountains in Akkala. This would be plenty of evidence to convince the Sheikah elders. Zelda also noted that Link had visited the bug village up close to take these pictures, which...didn’t really surprise her.  
  
Zelda passed the Slate around the table to Impa, who took it with a hum, though she kept an eye on Link as well as he began giving his report, hands flashy through signs rapidly.  
  
{I studied the village, Dirtmouth, from afar before I went in, and I talked to the villagers in Tarrey Town who visited. They all had similar stories; that the bugs were unsettling, but hadn’t attacked them, and seemed friendly. I determined that an up close look would be beneficial, and glided down. I was met by three bugs, community leaders of some sort, and assigned a guide. A very tall bug called the Hollow Knight, almost as tall as King Dorephan, one who could use some kind of psychic speech.}  
  
Zelda blinked and asked “Mind magic? That’s…”  
  
{Illegal, yes, but it didn’t feel like any mind magic I’d ever felt. They trained us to recognize and resist mental intrusion in the Knights. This didn’t feel like that. This felt more like the voice I hear when I pray to Hylia, or your voice I heard when you were trapped in Hyrule Castle.}  
  
Zelda squashed the old feeling of annoyance at Link being able to hear Hylia’s voice so easily while she had tried for years with no success, and focused on his words.  
  
“I see. Do you think this Hollow Knight is some form of divine or infernal being?”  
  
{I don’t have enough information to be sure. But they weren’t like the other bugs. Their body seemed to be almost fluid, and it absorbed all of the light that hit it. Their body...honestly reminded me of the Malice of Ganon.}  
  
Zelda scowled at that, and Link waved his hands.  
  
{In appearance, not in evilness. The Hollow Knight was actually quite friendly. We talked about our kingdoms. Well…’talked’} Link put up air quotes around the sign.  
  
Zelda rolled her eyes.  
  
{They’re the sibling of the current ruler, Hornet, and they’re related though their father, White Monarch. I also got something about Hornet having a different mother, Angry Spider? Beastly Spider? Or something like that, their speech was difficult to parse. It was purely conceptual, no real emotion attached, and alien in a way I haven’t felt before.}  
  
Zelda steepled her fingers.  
  
“Anything else?”  
  
{They just got out of a similar situation to our own. Some ancient enemy, who’s name for some reason translated as the Sun, was infecting their kingdom. She reanimated dead corpses and devastated their population. Apparently this ancient enemy was defeated just before they came here.}   
  
The movement of Link’s hands paused, then he signed {Tarrey Town residents reported a flash of light and an earthquake happened right before they discovered their new neighbors. I had originally thought they were talking about Ganon’s defeat, but now I’m not so sure. The two events seem to have happened around the same time. In fact…}  
  
Zelda finished for Link in a low voice.  
  
“They may have happened at the exact same time.”  
  
Link nodded once, and the room fell silent and still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for stopping by, now let's talk about a few things.
> 
> First of all, if you didn't notice, I added in another denomination of geo. 1, 5, and 25 are all well and good, but Hallownest really needs something larger like the Gold or Silver Rupees, or hauling around money would quickly become ridiculous. So, there's now a small gold, which takes the place of the large gold geo at 25, while the large gold geo from the game is now 100. Also, I am going to be working on the exchange rate, don't worry; if you hadn't noticed by now, I am nothing if not overly dedicated to accurate mathematics.
> 
> A readers asked me if Greenpath and all it's residents made it over in the transfer. Yes. Slug mom is here, but she is currently sleeping. That will change at some point in the future.
> 
> Finally, on the Gerudo. I have a problem with the Gerudo, and two possible solutions.
> 
> The Gerudo are a society of all women, who somehow all share physical traits (height, hair color, dark skin, abs) even after generations of making babies with Hylians, Sheikah, etc. The only time they give birth to a Gerudo male is when it's Ganondorf. Which leads me to believe that one of two things are true. Either the Gerudo are like the Asari, and there's some magical genetic shit going on that means they exclusively give birth to Gerudo females (unless it's Ganondorf).
> 
> OR, the Gerudo traits are heavily dominant, but only in females (not sure how that works, but bear with me). Which means that Gerudo can either give birth to Gerudo girls, with only a few traits from the father, or they can give birth to non-Gerudo males, with only a few traits from the mother.


	12. Mothers and Daughters

Hornet noticed immediately when they entered the range of the bee Hivemind.  
  
The group had just barely left the tram station when a **change** came over the three bees that they were travelling with. Where before they were quiet and fearful, now they buzzed with energy and life. As one, the three bees swooped in front of Hornet and the Crusher, and spoke in a single voice.  
  
“ _Come. She is waiting for you._ ”  
  
Hornet felt the hairs on her abdomen tremble before she forcibly calmed herself. Despite spending much of her childhood in the Hive, she had never grown used to the synchronized speech the bees used when they were completely in tune with the Hivemind. It creeped her out like nothing in Deepnest ever could.  
  
She ignored those feelings and nodded to the bees. They turned and began flying off in the direction of the Hive.  
  
As they travelled, Hornet couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation. She hadn’t seen Queen Vespa in many years, not since the Hive had sealed off the passageways into their domain. While the Queen Bee wasn’t her birth mother, she considered her just as much a parent as Herrah or the White Lady had been, and more of one than the Pale King had ever been.  
  
More bees came into view as they came into view of the Hive walls. Hiveling worker drones like the three she travelled with made up the bulk of the swarm, but she also spotted a few Soldiers and Guardians patrolling an opening in the Hive walls. The Hivelings were busy at work, bringing in pollen and nectar from the plants of Kingdom’s Edge. Hornet was gladdened by the sight; she hadn’t seen a single bee since they sealed the Hive off, and had worried that many had starved in their isolation. If there were this many outside of the Hive, there must still be hundreds within.  
  
As they moved to cross into the Hive, two soldiers moved to block their path.  
  
“ _Only the Princess may enter. This Fool must remain outside_.”  
  
Hornet turned to the armoured bug, who huffed in annoyance.  
  
“I grow tired of being left behind, but very well.” The Crusher said. He sat down on a section of hardened propolis and rested his nail on his legs. The two Soldiers moved back into position but kept their eyes pointed towards the Fool.  
  
Hornet grunted and moved into the Hive. Her last remaining companion would be fine on his own. He’d repeatedly demonstrated that he had a level enough head to not cause trouble.  
  
The journey through the Hive ignited strong feelings of nostalgia in Hornet. While the rest of Hallownest had fallen in disrepair and despondency, the Hive looked exactly the same as it had when she came here for her lessons under Vespa and the Hive Knight. There were slightly less bees buzzing around, and the honey stores were lower than she’d ever seen them, but the Hive seemed to have endured the Infection remarkably well.  
  
It wasn’t until she entered Vespa's chambers that Hornet realized that that was a lie.  
  
Hornet gave a cry of anguish and rushed over to Vespa’s corpse. She’d had years to come to terms with Herrah’s eventual death, and the White Lady still lived (even if she seldom visited). However, she’d never expected this.  
  
Hornet turned to the nearest bee, with fire in her eyes, and wrathfully asked “I thought you said she was waiting for me!”  
  
The bee backed away from her, but did not flee. Instead, it buzzed in agitation before settling down, and there came a voice that echoed from every bee in the Hive.  
  
“ _She is waiting for you._ ”  
  
A Soldier bee approached Hornet with a honeycomb chest held to their thorax. They placed it in front of Hornet and looked at her expectantly.  
  
She opened the chest. Within were several items. A Nail, much smaller than her own needle and intimately familiar. A grey cloak with strands of silver and black woven into the fabric. A Lumafly lantern, a tram pass, and a stone journal. A collection of rolled up silkpaper and a quill. A strange bronze device that pulsed with power. A box for collecting charms. And finally, the Dream Nail that had been used to break into the mind of Hollow and kill the Radiance.  
  
Hornet picked up the Pure Nail that her Sibling had wielded and looked it over.  
  
“How...how did all of this end up down here? Last I remember, the little one’s possessions still lay within the Temple of the Black Egg. I had planned on returning to retrieve them at some point...but, well...so many things have happened since then that I forgot.”  
  
The bees didn’t respond. The Soldier bee reached into the chest and grabbed the Dream Nail, then held it out to Hornet. She put down the Pure Nail and grabbed the offered item, then looked at the Soldier.  
  
“ _She is waiting for you_.”  
  
Hornet understood then, and she raised the Dream Nail in front of her. A blade of light burst forth from the hilt, and she brought it down onto the head of the Soldier before her.  


. . .

  
Zelda breathed in the morning air and smiled. The grass was speckled with dew, and there was a pleasant breeze coming in from the west. Today was shaping up to be an excellent day.  
  
After Link had finished delivering his report, Zelda had had a quick meeting at night with the Sheikah elders to give them the news, and to tell them that she and Link were leaving Kakariko in the morning. There had been protests, but Zelda had put her foot down. The appearance of this kingdom of bugs was a pressing issue that could not be ignored. Moreover, she still needed to visit the Zora personally to pay her respects to Mipha and to show the general population of the Zora that she would not be one to rule from a distance with an iron fist.  
  
The elders had relented at her words, but had insisted on sending additional protection with her. Three Sheikah warriors were riding with her, while the Rito Fyson was keeping an eye on the surrounding area from the sky.  
  
Honestly, Zelda thought it was overkill; Link had proven time and again that he was more than qualified to guard her, but the elders had insisted, and Fyson had volunteered. As the Queen (even if she hadn’t been crowned yet), her life was quite literally the most important in the kingdom. If she died now, while Hyrule was at its weakest, then the kingdom would likely fall.  
  
But that didn’t mean that she had to like it.  
  
She’d accepted the presence of the Sheikah guards and Fyson’s assistance with minimal grumbling, and now, they were off on the road again. The Rito messengers had been sent out in the morning as well, carrying messages detailing all of the news, and inviting every major population center to send a representative to Kakariko Village for a meeting in exactly three weeks, on the 28th day of the month.  
  
Zelda looked out over the vibrant grass plain of Sahasra Slope as she thought about the immediate future. It’d take them four days to reach Zora’s Domain from Kakariko Village if they didn’t ride the horses too hard. She wanted to spend a full day meeting with the Zora and King Dorephan. Then, there’d be another four days of travel to get to Tarrey Town and Hallowed Nest. That was nine days until she’d set eyes on this bug kingdom.  
  
That was...too long for her tastes. While Link could visit Hallowed Nest whenever he wanted, he could only teleport himself, and Zelda knew better than to ask him to go without her. Even with the Sheikah Guards and Fyson to look after her, Link would never leave her side while they were outside of a secure location.  
  
“Link! Could you ride alongside me for a moment?”  
  
At her call, Link spurred his horse forwards, and was soon matching pace with Zelda. She turned to her knight and smiled.  
  
“Link, I want to arrive at Zora’s Domain as soon as possible, without hurting the horses. Are we still able to take the shortcut through the Lanayru Wetlands, or are those bridges gone?” Zelda asked.  
  
Link let go of the reigns and signed {They’re still there, or at least enough of them are to cross the Wetlands. That would save us a half day’s worth of travel time, but it won’t be pleasant. I’ll need to clear out several encampments of Lizalfos as well, but that should probably be done anyways. With Ganon gone, I can kill them for real now, and it’ll make the region safer.}  
  
Link paused, scrunched up his face in thought, then signed {There is a small village of Zora who still live near Inogo Bridge. We should be able to make a deal with some of them to carry us to Zora’s Domain along the river. That would shave off a full day’s worth of travel by road. The switchbacks eat up so much time, and the Zora are fast swimmers.}  
  
Zelda hummed. Two and a half days of travel versus four days of travel, and she’d only have to sacrifice her comfort and dryness. It was an easy choice to make (she’d never travelled on a Zora’s back, her father had found the idea improper).  
  
“Yes, I think we’ll do that. We can leave our horses at Inogo Bridge, I’m sure the local Zora will be able to look after them until we return.”  
  
Link nodded, and behind her, Zelda heard quiet grumbling from the Sheikah warriors. She turned slightly in her saddle and smiled sweetly at them.  
  
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, are you three alright with the travel plans? I wouldn’t want to make my stalwart protectors uncomfortable.”  
  
The leader of the Sheikah warriors pursed her lips at Zelda’s question and said “Of course we agree Princess. We will follow and protect you wherever you go.”  
  
Zelda’s smile widened, and she responded “Of course.”  
  
Beside her, Link gave her a _look_ , and Zelda stifled a giggle. Just because she’d accepted their presence didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun at their expense. It’d taken her weeks before she’d stopped trying to get rid of Link, and weeks longer before she’d truly accepted him as her bodyguard. If they were so determined to dog her every step then they could learn to deal with the consequences of that.  


. . .

  
The dream she found herself in was similar to the Hive she’d left behind, but also very different. Light streamed in through gaps in the walls, and errant golden essence symbols floated in the air. The floor was made of old brown stone, and great cracks and holes tore into it. She saw a great many bees milling around, but they kept their distance from her.  
  
Hornet looked around at the ruined expanse before her eyes found a sitting form, and she nearly dropped her nail.  
  
“Vespa?”  
  
The old Queen, so much smaller than she was in life, inclined her head.  
  
“Indeed, my child. Come. Sit with me. We have much to discuss.”  
  
Hornet came over and sat down next to Vespa in a stupor.  
  
“But...you’re dead. I saw your body in the Hive.”  
  
Vespa chittered in amusement and said “Yes, I am dead. I have been for quite some time. I was already old when the Hive was sealed, child. When the Old Light began to come to me in my dreams, I resisted as long as I could, but even if the spirit was willing, the body was weak. The exertion of protecting the dreams of the entire Hivemind took its toll, and I passed on. All of my subjects were subsumed after that.”   
  
Vespa turned her eyes on Hornet and patted her claw. “Oh, but there is a bright side to this sad tale. As the entire Hivemind was subsumed at once with so little resistance, most of my children survived the ordeal. Despite the toll of the Infection, the bees will live on.”  
  
Hornet looked at Vespa and said “I am glad. That doesn’t answer why you’re _here_ , or why you wanted to talk to me, or why the Hive has all of the little Knight’s possessions!”  
  
Vespa gave Hornet a look of admonishment that she was well familiar with, and Hornet nearly ducked her head in embarrassment.  
  
“Patience, little spider, patience. I was about to get to that. In order, I am still here because the Hive has refused to let me go.” Vespa’s pedipalps rustled in agitation and she continued “I have tried to tell them repeatedly that I am dead and that I need to move on, but they do not accept my words. Until there is a new Queen, I am stuck here. Thankfully, with the death of the Old Light, it is now safe enough for a new Queen to be born into the world. There are eggs in storage that I birthed long ago; I will direct you to them through the Hivemind once you leave this dream.”  
  
Vespa paused, then said “This leads into your second question. I asked to speak with you because I want you to raise the new queen, at least in part.”  
  
Hornet chirped in shock.  
  
“Wha...me? I’m not-I can’t become a mother, I have a kingdom to run!”  
  
Vespa tilted her head slightly to the side and said “Really? It never stopped me, or Herrah.”  
  
Hornet crossed her forelegs and grunted, then said “Still. I’m not ready to raise a child. Hallownest stands on the brink of destruction. We’re in an unknown land, full of unknown threats, and we are barely starting to organize. I already renounced my claim to my birthplace because I don’t have enough time to govern both Hallownest and Deepnest.”  
  
Vespa shook her head.  
  
“I understand, but I did say that I only wanted you to raise my daughter _in part_. You were the child of three Queens, you know that it is possible to split the work of raising a child between many parents. And I desire for the new Queen of the Hive to learn of this outside world from you, to better prepare her for the future of the Hive.” Vespa rustled her wings and continued “Please, Hornet. As I once did for you.”  
  
Hornet released a deep sigh from her spiracles, and nodded.  
  
“Fine. I will raise her. _In part_.”  
  
Vespa buzzed in satisfaction and said “Thank you...as to your final question, we have the possessions of the small Vessel because they gave them to us.”  
  
Hornet froze.  
  
“...what? But…they’re dead.”  
  
“Oh, child, they are not dead. Not in the slightest. They ascended.” Vespa gave Hornet a patient look and said “You saw their battle with the Old Light, did you not? They became the Void given Focus. They became the Lord of Shades. They became a God, and left their mortal shell behind.”  
  
Hornet felt the world spin around her slightly.  
  
“But then...where are they? Why haven’t I seen them? Why did they deliver their possessions to you?”  
  
Vespa hummed in thought.  
  
“As to where they are, I cannot say for certain, but if I were to guess, I would wager that they dwell in the Abyss now. They _are_ one with the Void, dear. As to why you haven’t seen them, I truly have no idea. You’d have to ask them. Perhaps they needed to rest after defeating a goddess. However, as for their possessions, _that_ I do have an answer for.”  
  
Vespa stood up, looked out over the dream of the Hive, and said “They appeared here in this dream some time ago. I’m not sure why they chose to visit me over the White Lady; perhaps they knew that you’d visit the Hive before you saw her? The gift of foresight is one that the Pale King possessed, after all. They dropped off all of their possessions in my chamber, and they gave me a message to give to you, then left.”  
  
Hornet stood up as well, and asked “What was the message?”  
  
Vespa turned and slowly said “They wanted me to tell you...[ _Give out my charms to good bugs. Give my nail to the smallest of the new Great Knights. Give my cloak to your daughter. Keep the Dream Nail, it will be useful. Trust the Zelda. She is nice and knows many games. I will be watching, but I cannot intervene directly. The rules are different here._ ]...That was all they said.”  
  
Hornet struggled to contain her shock at the sudden Voidspeech-that-she-could-hear. Somehow, Vespa’s voice had become another’s, one that she’d never heard before. This dream she’d found herself in seemed to manifest Voidspeech with actual words and not-sounds, in a way that she chose not to dwell on. She’d go mad if she tried to understand what had just happened, and she focused on the meaning of the words instead.  
  
The first four requests were easy to parse. They wanted their possessions to go to other bugs to be used (Hornet ignored the fact that her Sibling had somehow known that she would agree to raise Vespa’s daughter). Less clear was who Zelda was, and why her being nice or knowing games mattered, but the little Knight had been rather childlike. Regardless, Hornet resolved to trust the bug when she met them.  
  
The last part of the message was the most concerning.  
  
What rules were different? Who was imposing rules on a God so that they were so limited?  
  
Hornet didn’t know. It worried her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, I hope people aren't too upset with what I'm doing with Ghost/The Little Knight. I'll explain more later in the fic, but this is really an excuse to not have a super powerful God of Gods on call who's able to bitch-slap all of Hallownest's problems. It's an established mythical/literary device in certain series that the more powerful a being is, the less they can interact with the setting, and I'm keeping to that. Disagree with me if you want, but I want this to be a relatively grounded fic.
> 
> Anyways. On to the exchange rate.
> 
> As stated in the previous chapter, I figured the best way to calculate an accurate exchange rate was to figure up the average cost of 1 days worth of food for an average being from each kingdom. This is fairly easy in Breath of the Wild, food is a big part of that game. I settled on 200 Rupees; this is a good mid-range amount that can easily buy 2k-4k calories of food if you're smart about it. Hollow Knight is much harder though. We only have one food item, the Rancid Egg, and it's one that the Knight can't eat. It can be bought from Tuk for 80-100 Geo and sold to Jinn for 290-450 though, and it seems to be a delicacy for Jiji considered she's willing to do her dark ritual in exchange for a single stinky egg. I'm just gonna settle on 100 Geo being the amount necessary to buy the average bug 1 days worth of food. It's the price of opening a bank account or buying a single egg off of Tuk, it's the best I'm gonna be able to do.
> 
> So, yeah. 1 Geo is worth as much as 2 Rupees. Or, in other words, Geo is twice as valuable as Rupees are. Cornifer and Iselda paid way more for their maps than Granté paid for his maps. I don't think Cornifer minds though.


	13. The Fool, the Noble, and the Beedle

Beedle  [ hummed ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dQAKTbf_Ww) a tune as he walked down the road, eager to arrive at Tarrey Town to sell his goods. Usually, he’d have rested at the South Akkala stable on this loop, but for some reason the stable wasn’t there anymore. Odd, that. This time of the year, they were always at that spot. They must have left very recently, too, the grass was still crushed from where their tents had been.  
  
Oh well. Beedle was well used to spending his nights in the wilderness by himself. The sound of crickets was his favorite lullaby, and food tasted all the sweeter when it was cooked under the stars.  
  
Beedle hoped he’d run into that small blonde Hylian again. That one always bought all of the arrows he had, and often gave him beetles as well. He was Beedle’s favorite customer.  
  
The road began to descend, and Beedle saw a mountain emerge in the distance...say, had that always been there? He didn’t remember the shape of that peak, it was a different color than the normal red rock of Death mountain as well...  
  
“Aiiii!”  
  
A scream! Someone was in trouble! Beedle immediately let his enormous beetle shaped backpack hit the ground, and he grabbed a shortsword out of the pack. Now was no time to dwell on strange mountains, there was a maiden in trouble! Beedle rushed towards where he heard the sound from.  
  
It didn’t take him long to find the source. Three Red Bokoblins were trying to force their way into a fallen, rotten tree, where the poor maiden no doubt was hiding. Ah, but Beedle was here to save the day.  
  
“Ooooo!” yelled Beedle, and he charged.  
  
The Bokoblins stopped trying to drag the maiden out of the rotten tree and turned. On spotting him, they hoisted their clubs and waded into battle.  
  
The first Bokoblin went down quickly, Beedle’s sword cutting into its neck. However, the second took advantage of the opening and took a swing at Beedle with its club. Beedle jumped back, nearly losing his grip on the sword in his hand.  
  
The third Bokoblin leapt at him, club high above its head, and Beedle raised the tip of his sword and let the Bokoblin impale itself on it. The monster gurgled and tried to swipe at Beedle with its club one last time, but Beedle dodged easily. There was no strength left in its movements.  
  
Seeing that its companions were dead, the last remaining Bokoblin fled. Beedle contemplated going after it, but decided against that action. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty sort, and besides, he had to ensure the safety of the maiden.  
  
Beedle walked over to the fallen tree and rapped on the bark with his knuckles.  
  
“Hello! The Bokoblins are gone now. Do you need any help getting out of there, miss?”  
  
“ _Uuu...e’ta nama des hy’leen? Ah...nah minobis._ ”  
  
The log shuddered, and the maiden emerged from inside the hollow. Beedle’s eyes widened, and the breath caught in his throat. He felt his heart skip a beat.  
  
That pearlescent sheen. Those beautiful, black eyes. The elegant horns. This wasn’t a maiden...no, no. This...this was a _goddess_. A vision of perfection, given form upon the earthly world.  
  
“ _Awa...bensoria neku...hy’leen._ ”  
  
She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman and more. Beedle fell to his knees and put a hand over his heart.  
  
“It was my privilege to rescue you, my lady. Truly, your beauty is without equal, and your death would fill me with grief. Please, let me accompany you back to your home, to ensure that no more of those vile Bokoblins sully your day.”  
  
The heavenly maiden wrung her claws in nervousness, and Beedle moved to reassure her in a calm voice. She did not speak the same language, yes, but pure conviction and passion transcended all barriers.  
  
“I promise you that I have no intention of ever harming you, my lady. To lay a hand on you would be to strike my own heart through with a hot iron.”  
  
The beetle of his dreams looked taken aback, but after a moment, she tentatively reached a stubby limb out. Beetle took it in hand and gave it a chaste kiss, and the fair maiden gasped in surprise.  
  
The two of them walked off together, hand in claw, Beedle leading the beetle towards the place where he’d dropped his pack.  
  
In the trees above them, two Yiga clan members turned to each other.  
  
“...the fuck was that?” asked the first.  
  
The second shook his head.  
  
“Let’s just...move on. I don’t even want to think about where that relationship is going. Besides, we’ve got a job to do.”  
  
The second Yiga clan member teleported away, poofing into a small cloud of smoke. The first Yiga sighed and gave one last look at the departing Hylian and beetle.  
  
“...how would they...how would they even...ugh.”  
  
There was a poof, and afterwards, the only sound in the forest was the chirping of birds.  


. . .

  
Hollow held the chain in their claw and began pulling it upwards. Sibling Hornet had been gone since the previous time the burning orb had been in the sky, and after Link had left, they had had nothing to do. They hadn’t been given anything to do, but they wanted to do something.  
  
They had been unsure of how they could help, as no one needed their blade at the moment, and they were wounded as well, but Hollow had soon spotted some bugs that needed them.  
  
The food gatherers, led by the one called Quirrel, were busy at work in Hallownest, and the Dirtmouth team had hauled dozens of barrels full of moss and mushrooms up the Crossroads. However, there they ran into a problem; the mouth of the well was narrow (as Hollow could well attest to) and the walls were slick. Getting the barrels of food out was slow work, having to be carried one by one up the well by attaching them to the end of the chain and having a team of bugs pull it up.  
  
Hollow had approached, and over the protestations of the bugs who were currently pulling, grasped the chain. Within seconds, the barrel was at the top of the well, and the bugs fell silent. A system was soon set up; bugs at the bottom would attach barrels to the chain, then Hollow would pull the food up with their great strength, and then other bugs would transport the food to an empty house to be counted. So far, the system had worked well, and they were almost finished.  
  
“Ah, you there! Excellent job, yes, mmm. Very fine work.” came the voice of a bug behind Hollow.  
  
Hollow turned their head and saw a former noble of some kind, the finery that they attempted to drape themself in threadbare and dull.  
  
“Yes, my good sir...you see, I am looking to acquire one of those foodstuff barrels for myself! I am the esteemed Count Beltorn, yes, perhaps you’ve heard of me? I was once the manager of the Upper Mines, and I do find myself in a bit of a rough spot, thanks to the Infection…”  
  
Hollow resumed pulling up the barrel as the noble yattered on. Ah...he wanted to get a barrel all to himself. Others had asked the same. They would get the same answer.  
  
Hollow finished hauling up the barrel and handed it off into the claws of the waiting work team, ignoring the noble.  
  
“Excuse me! I do believe that was mine! Hey, you, that barrel belongs to me, I am buying it!”  
  
One of the pillbugs who had picked up the barrel clicked their mandibles together and said “Elderbug said that everyone gets an equal share of food. For right now at least, you can’t buy food, it’s being given out based on need.”  
  
The noble seemed to swell up in indignation and responded “Ridiculous! The Elderbug has no right to tell I, Count Beltorn, what to do! That surface-dwelling _peasant_ should be grateful that he was shown attention by the Princess at all, even if she is a half-breed. See, this is why the dilution of the royal blood should never have happened. The Pale King mated with a horrible beast and the spawn is not only weak, but also does not know who is worthy of her-”  
  
The noble stopped suddenly as a horrid chill ran up their exoskeleton. The bugs in front of him began to back away slowly, and the scent of fear pheromones filled the air.  
  
Count Beltorn turned around, very slowly, to see the enormous black bug that he’d been talking to looming over him. They didn’t say a word, didn’t exude a scent, and didn’t move at all, but the Count could practically feel the malice rolling off of them.  
  
[ **D̵͖͖̈e̸̦͈͊ś̶͎̿i̴̧̞̿ǧ̶̞n̴̰̖̚a̶͖̥̐̃t̵̛͚̖͌i̴̢̦̔͒ǫ̴̫̕n̶̫̍,̵̜̣͑͗ ̷͓̞̕Ȁ̶̯͛n̷̫̚ṉ̵͝ǫ̷̽ẙ̸̖i̷͔̙̽͘n̵̻̓́ǧ̷̢.̴̨̟͒ ̵̮̚͝R̷̺͛̃ĕ̵̡͒q̸̧̞̆̂ŭ̷̗̕ẹ̴̫͒s̷̟͍̋t̸̛͉̂:̵̲̬̾ ̴̱̯̈́̌C̷̱̆̏e̶̯͌ä̶̦͉́s̵̢̘̍ȩ̸̤͌ ̴͎̰̈́t̴̃͜͠a̴̗͐͝l̴̻͒́͜k̴̰͕͑i̷͇̽̃ñ̴̫g̵̠̈́ ̶̨͒̂a̶̠̙̚b̸̝̦͋̾o̶̝͒̉u̷̺̤͒ť̵̪͔ ̸̻̄S̸̘͓̈́̕i̶͍͊̊b̸̬̙̓̕l̸̗̝̓̄ĭ̵͓̤͒n̸͔͇̈ģ̵͙̅͘ ̶͙̒͂H̶͓̪̏o̸̓͛͜r̴̜̾͘ń̷̮͜e̴̪͉̓ẗ̶͚͇́̚ ̶̼̔̃i̶̳̥̿m̷̢̳̔̍m̵̝̂ḙ̶́̏d̶̠̙͑̕i̵̳͑͠a̴̭͖̾t̵̲̱̉e̴̬͐l̶̨͚͌y̷͙̚.̴̧͎͑** ]  
  
Count Beltorn fainted. The Hollow Knight looked at the unmoving body and nudged it out of the pathway with their leg, then they returned to their work.  
  
Inwardly, Hollow was quite happy. They had allowed themselves to feel annoyance just now, and they had acted on that feeling. Then they had allowed themselves to feel enjoyment at the Count cowering in fear, and happiness at that enjoyment.  
  
They hoped Hornet would return soon. They had to tell her about all the new experiences they were having and the fun things they’d learned to do.  


. . .

  
Hornet traveled most of the way to the Colosseum of Fools in a daze, trying to understand everything that Vespa had revealed to her.  
  
The little Knight was alive. No, more than alive, they had ascended to godhood. It...made sense, she supposed, if she thought about it. They were the child of two gods to begin with, and then the power of the Void had been added on top of that. She could still remember the form that the little Knight had taken when fighting the Radiance. That had been inside of a dream, though, and she’d thought it’d killed them to channel that much power.  
  
Not so. The little knight was a very much alive God of Void, they were possibly resting at the bottom of the Abyss, and they could see the future. Had they always had that ability?  
  
No, Hornet thought. They must have unlocked the Pale King’s foresight in their transformation, as they’d never showed signs of it before...though, they had always fought exceptionally well for a bug with no memories or training. Perhaps they’d had a limited sight that was just enough to help them in combat? Their Sibling had seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing where her blade was going to strike next.  
  
Hornet didn’t know. Just one more thing to ask them when she visited the Abyss...although, should she visit the Abyss? They could see the future, after all, and they hadn’t told her to come see them. Though...maybe they hadn’t told her because they knew she’d be coming…  
  
Hornet shook her head vigorously. No, now was not the time to dwell on this matter, the Colosseum was in view. She would think about the revelations further on the trip back to Dirtmouth; she’d already been gone too long, and she needed to ensure that all of the teams were doing their jobs.  
  
With that settled in her mind, Hornet strode in through the mouth of the Colosseum, The Crusher by her side. The place was much quieter than normal; the end of the Infection must have halted the non-stop fights, at least for now.  
  
“Ah, Crusher, long time no see. Thought you were dead.” said a voice from the ceiling. Hornet looked up to behold a small armoured bug bound in chains. Ah, him. They’d met once before, when she’d last visited the Colosseum.  
  
Hornet nodded to the Little Fool and said “You know who I am. I come seeking to meet with the Greater Fools.”  
  
The Little Fool gave Hornet a considering once-over before he grunted.  
  
“They’re down in the rest area. Can’t guarantee they’ll be happy to see you, some of them are mighty upset that the Infection is gone. It’s bad for business, you see.”  
  
Hornet clamped down on the urge to skewer the Fool for saying something so heinous, and instead she simply nodded.  
  
“I’ll do that then.”  
  
The rest area of the Colosseum was large and full of gear. Needles, nails, scissors, cages, and all manner of other metal creations crowded the walls and floor. The Fools were glory-seeking warriors first and foremost, but Hornet couldn’t deny that their metal-working skill was second to none. Among the gear rested the various Fools, watching Hornet and the Crusher silently behind their perforated helmets.  
  
Hornet soon stood before a circle of four Fools in the center of the rest area. She recognized all of them. The Shielder, with his massive tower shield, sat on the floor, and had a steaming cup of broth in his claw. The Dragonfly was sharpening her twin serrated nails, and looked up to hiss at Hornet. The Volt Master was silently meditating, sparks of electricity flowing over his body. And finally, the God Tamer, the current greatest warrior of the Colosseum, seemed to be sulking.  
  
Behind Hornet, the Crusher moved to stand behind God Tamer. The area was silent, thick with tension.  
  
The Dragonfly was the first to break the quiet.  
  
“If you’re here for a fight, come back later. Otherwise, leave. You’ve already taken enough from us.”  
  
Hornet tilted her head.  
  
“I was not the one responsible for the end of the Infection, though I played my part in its death. And no. I’m not here to fight. I’m here to make an offer to the Fools.”  
  
The Dragonfly clacked her mandibles shut, and Hornet heard the God Tamer laugh.  
  
“We want no part in this new kingdom of yours, any more than we did in the previous one. The bugs of Hallownest are always welcome, of course, so long as they bring either Geo to see the fights or a nail to participate, but whatever happens beyond these walls are none of our concern.”  
  
Hornet leaned against an empty cage and crossed her forelegs.  
  
“Really? A shame, I’d thought you would be interested in eternal glory.”  
  
The Greater Fools suddenly turned their attention fully onto Hornet; even the Volt Master had opened his eyes. The God Tamer sat up straight, and motioned with her claw.  
  
“...go on, say your piece. I’m listening, _princess_.”  
  
Hornet pushed up off the cage and walked to the center of the circle.  
  
“It’s really quite simple. The Colosseum has always thrived off of being able to field new and exciting challenges. Traps, beasts, foreign warriors. You say that you don’t care about anything beyond the Colosseum, but that’s a lie, is it not? Without a continuous influx of the _new_ , there would be no spectacle. No crowds, no Geo, no glory.”  
  
Hornet idly inspected her claws for dirt and said “I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but the surface world isn’t the barren wasteland it once was. The entirety of Hallownest was transported, and everything up there is _new_. Strange new beings, new monsters, new potential spectators. Before, the Colosseum was limited to only the bugs of Hallownest. Now though...well, imagine the stands packed with ten times as many onlookers, from far off lands and kingdoms. Imagine how the names of the victors would be carried across the world on their lips and spread in whispers throughout a thousand cities.”  
  
Hornet could tell that she had them hooked, and she continued “I’m not asking you to become my loyal subjects, or that you should stop what you’re doing. On the contrary, I think the Colosseum could be of great benefit to Hallownest. There is a place in the structure of governance for spectacle and games. All I ask, is that you consider sending someone to Dirtmouth to hammer out a more...official alliance. Think about it. Talk it over. And if you do decide to take part in the new Hallownest, well...news that the Queen attends your games would be a major boost to business, hmm?”  
  
With that said, Hornet nodded to the Greater Fools and left. The gathered Fools parted before her like receding waters.  
  
It wasn’t until she left the room that she heard the shouting begin. This was followed swiftly by the sounds of battle, slaughter, and general mayhem.  
  
She hoped they didn’t kill too many of each other, she wanted to make use of their skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, that was a fun interim chapter, now let's talk about how Hornet molded herself to each group's desires.
> 
> I'm sure you noticed, but Hornet approached each group with subtly different offers. Yes, the core offer of alliance was the same, but each was presented differently. The Mantis are prideful and value martial strength, so Hornet proved herself through ritual combat and emphasized that they are stronger together. The Spiders also value strength, but there is great importance placed on perception, deception, and what the truth is. It's all intricate mind-games to them, and Hornet gave them carte-blanche to continue those mind-games amongst themselves as long as they don't fuck up the rest of the kingdom, while also laying down a line in the sand.
> 
> The Fools don't care about being stronger together, or politics, or really anything beyond Geo and Glory. Hornet appealed to their greed. She is a smart little spider isn't she :)
> 
> Anywho. As to the Future of this fic, I've been getting some questions that are like 'Hey, this is interesting but where's the action and the villains?' So let me be clear. We are currently in part 1 of this fic. I am planning for Part 1 to encompass the entire first year of Hallownest/Hyrule interactions. There will be small timeskips, but in general, I want to try to capture as many 'first' moments as possible. First time Zelda meets Hornet, first time Hollow kills a Lynel, first time Hallownest and Hyrule sign a treaty, first time a bug speaks Hylian and vice versa, etc etc. There will be antagonists (like the Yiga) but Part 1 is not going to be a high octane adventure. Ganon isn't gonna return, no big villain is gonna show up and start wrecking shit in Part 1. We are in peaceful rebuilding zone.
> 
> In Part 2 on the other hand, which is going to start 5-10 years after part 1...well, now that is a different matter entirely.


	14. Distant Champions

Riju, chieftain of the Gerudo, popped a candied voltfruit into her mouth and chewed it slowly. The honey that coated the voltfruit dulled the highly acidic taste into a pleasant burn at the back of her throat, and the cane sugar just added more sweetness. Lovely. She’d have Buliara pass on her compliments to the cooks later.  
  
Snagging another candied volfruit, Riju collapsed onto her bed with a groan. Today had been full of annoyances that she had needed to attend to. Shabonne wanted to build a new sand-seal course and was insistent that it be done as soon as possible. Barta had gotten lost again, and Riju had ordered three of her soldiers to find the wayward Gerudo (at this point, Riju wondered if she should just boot Barta out of her service). And to top all of it off, there had been an earthquake three days before that had occurred minutes after Vah Naboris fired a massive laser in the direction of Hyrule Castle, and everyone was still on edge.  
  
Riju herself was anxiously awaiting news of...whatever it was that had happened at Hyrule Castle. She hoped that the vile Ganon had been defeated. She prayed that the brave voe Link had not been killed.  
  
“Riju, there’s a Rito here with a message from Kakariko Village.” said Buliara from just outside of her bedchamber.  
  
Scrambling off of the bed, Riju took a moment to compose herself before she strode out of the doorway. She had a feeling that this was the news that she’d been waiting three days for.  


. . .

  
“ _...I shall be travelling to Zora’s Domain to meet with you for a day, King Dorephan, before continuing on towards Tarrey Town to see this bug kingdom for myself. I pray that this finds you in good health, Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule, third of her name, Hylia’s Chosen, Vanquisher of Ganon..._ ”  
  
Sidon, Prince of the Zora, tuned out the reading of Princess Zelda’s many titles as he considered the information they had just received through the Rito messenger. They had already been informed of the presence of the bug kingdom through Fyson the day before, and his father had sent a detachment of five Zora scouts through the underwater tunnels to Lake Akkala to investigate just hours before they’d received this letter. The scouts could be arriving at this ‘Hallowed Nest’ at this very moment.  
  
The rest of the letter was new though. Sidon grinned wildly at the thought that Link had not only survived, but that the little Hylian had also fought Ganon, freed the Princess, and that together the two of them had once and for all vanquished the Calamity. Truly, thanks to them, Hyrule would flourish like a water lily in summer. Monsters would be mortal now, and Central Hyrule could be reclaimed to create more farmland. Not that the Zora cared much about Hylian foodstuffs, but Sidon tried to think outside of the Zora’s needs; it was what a good Prince would do.  
  
Sidon turned towards his father and clasped his hands together.  
  
“Father, I wish to go down the river to meet with Link and Princess Zelda! I already know Link quite well, and it would be beneficial to get to know the Princess better outside of the confines of the court. I only saw her a few times when I was a child, after all. And, while I do not doubt Link’s abilities in the slightest, it could be beneficial to have a Zora guide along the way.”  
  
King Dorephan rumbled in thought before he ponderously nodded.  
  
“Yes, I think that is a fine idea, my son. Go then. We shall prepare for a royal feast on your return to commemorate this joyous day.” King Dorephan laughed, the sound booming around his above-water throneroom. “100 years of the Calamity, and it is finally over! Ah, this does my old bones good to hear.”  
  
Sidon grinned, teeth sparkling, and he flashed a thumbs up.  
  
“Thank you Father! Well then, I’ll be off, I don’t want to keep Link waiting!”  


. . .

  
Teba finished strapping on his quiver, while beside him, Harth was checking his bowstring. Elder Kaneli had called them in to read the letter from Kakariko village, and both Rito had immediately volunteered to go to Kakariko to represent the Rito, as Kaneli was far too old to fly across half of Hyrule.  
  
When Kaneli had reminded them that the official summit wasn’t for three weeks, both had brushed it off. Arriving early was just good manners, and Teba wanted to investigate Hyrule Castle and this new bug Kingdom for himself before moving on to Kakariko Village. He trusted the words in the letter but there was no harm in verifying the situation with his own eyes.  
  
...besides, Hyrule Castle was said to house some of the finest weapons ever made, and with the Calamity gone, Teba wanted to snag a few fine bows and quiverfuls of arrows. His son was going to be the finest warrior the Rito had ever seen, and there was no reason not to start collecting gear for him to use in the future.  
  
“Flight pack good?” asked Harth. Teba nodded, and rolled his hip. The wound he had taken while assisting Link against Vah Medoh was mostly healed, but it still twinged occasionally.  
  
“How’s your wing holding up?”  
  
Harth spread both of his wings in response and approached the edge of the take-off balcony.  
  
“Why don’t you just try to keep up, Too-Slow Teba?”  
  
Harth dived off of the balcony and Teba followed, seconds after, a scowl on his beak.  
  
“I swear, you arrive late to one class in Flight School and he never lets you live it down.”  


. . .

  
Big Boss Bludo ruminated over the news that a Goron messenger had just delivered. He’d received the clay tablet that the Rito had brought to one of their postal stations on the outskirts of Death Mountain just before he was ready to eat (paper and Rito being notoriously combustible in the fiery domain of the volcano) and had read it while munching on a prime rock roast.  
  
Across from Bludo sat Yunobo, who was digging into his own rock roast while trying to not think about a kingdom of bugs right next to Death Mountain. Bugs were so scary, and now they could walk around on two legs and talk? Even scarier. Yunobo desperately hoped Bludo didn’t send him to meet with the bugs.  
  
“Yunobo, I’m sending you to meet with the bugs.”  
  
Yunobo’s mouth opened, and little bits of red hot gravel fell out.  
  
“Boss! I-I can’t do that, bugs scare me!”  
  
Bludo smashed his fist into the ground and said “Boulders and bedlam, toughen up Yunobo! You managed to fight off Vah Rudania without me there, didn’t ya? You’re a Goron, they’re just little bugs, they’re not gonna be able to hurtcha.”  
  
Yunobo picked up the fallen gravel and tossed it into his mouth before it cooled.  
  
“But Boss, what if the bugs are really big?”  
  
“Then they’ll be really big! Get over it and act like a Goron, brother.” Bludo said, waving his rock roast at Yunobo “Be more like your ancestor Daruk. Now there was a Goron that wasn’t scared a’ nothin’, not even Ganon himself.”  
  
Yunobo tuned Bludo out as the venerable Goron began to reminisce about Daruk. He didn’t want his rock roast to get cold, and food kept away the thoughts of giant bugs.  
  
Ugh. Bugs. So Creepy.  


. . .

  
Hornet gave a curt nod to the bugs milling through the Crossroads, many of which bowed to her. The teams that she’d assigned seemed like they’d been busy; the Crossroads village had been transformed from a decrepit husk to a thriving town in the time since she’d been gone. She was impressed, and resolved to pass on her approval to all of the team leaders.  
  
The path up to Dirtmouth was thankfully quite short, and Hornet was soon standing underneath the well exit. She added down a mental note to look into opening up a larger entrance into Hallownest. Tunneling could work...there hadn’t been much need before, as nothing of value was produced on the surface, but now they would (presumably, if they didn’t go to war) have trade flowing in from the surface that needed an easier path into the depths. If the Fools agreed to come onboard, she could make use of their tame Garpedes to tunnel…  
  
Hornet shuddered with exhaustion as she ascended up the well wall. She hadn’t slept since leaving Dirtmouth, though she’d tried on the tram, and she hadn’t eaten a thing for even longer. There was too much to do.  
  
Bugs bowed to her as she passed through Dirtmouth, and she did her best to give them nods in return. Thankfully, the town center soon came into view, and Hornet spotted Elderbug speaking with a group of bugs.  
  
“...the latest group up from Crystal Peak just came in, we need somewhere to put the miners.” said one of the bugs, a slim, black ant. Elderbug gently shook his head before he spotted Hornet.  
  
“Oh! Your highness, you’ve returned!”  
  
Hornet chirped affirmatively, presenting the front of someone who wasn’t running on empty.  
  
“Are we running out of space in Dirtmouth to house bugs?”  
  
Elderbug nodded, seeming almost embarrassed.  
  
“Dirtmouth was never a large town, your highness. The only reason we’re able to house this large a fraction of Hallownest’s population is because of how few bugs were left alive by the Infection. But yes...we’ve reached the end of our open houses, and I don’t think it’s wise to be without shelter under the burning orb. The Crossroads Village is full as well. We’ll just have to send the miners to the City of Tears.”  
  
Hornet nodded, and that was all the confirmation the ant needed to scurry off towards a group of miners. Hornet walked past Elderbug and sat down heavily onto the iron bench in the town square. Elderbug looked at her with concern.  
  
“How long has it been since you slept, or ate? You do not look well, your highness, if I may be so bold to say that.”  
  
Hornet chittered tiredly.  
  
“I will do both soon. First though. Sit. Tell me what has occurred in my absence.”  
  
Elderbug did as she said and began speaking.  
  
“Well...many things have happened. Ogrim’s team has found bugs all throughout the kingdom, and they still have more areas to explore. The last numbers coming up from the City of Tears say that more than 3,000 bugs were found and counted in the city among the living, and they’ve taken over one of the towers in the Merchant’s Quarter. Combined with the 500 or so in the Crossroad’s village, and the 500 or so here in Dirtmouth, we’ve found more than 4,000 bugs so far.”  
  
Hornet clacked her pedipalps together, pleased, and she motioned for Elderbug to continue.  
  
“Cornifer and Iselda purchased a map of Hy’rool from the nearby town, and they also sold maps of Hallownest to them. We have a small stash of the foreign currency now. Cornifer’s team has also been testing the surface vegetation, and most of it is edible, though much of it is bitter tasting. As for Quirrel’s food gathering team, they managed to scrounge up enough supplies in Greenpath to feed all of the gathered bugs in all three locations, at least for now.”  
  
Elderbug paused, then said “The Hollow Knight was helpful in getting the food to the surface. They helped with that after guiding around a peculiar hy’leen who stopped by...oh, and there’s another peculiar hy’leen here now. Some strange fellow with a beetle shaped pack. Very excitable sort, stuck close by to Bretta, one of those who lived here before the end of the Infection. I think he’s staying with her in...”  
  
Hornet nodded absently, filing that information away, but she found it harder and harder to concentrate on Elderbug’s words.  
  
“....highness…your highness, did you hear me?”  
  
Hornet snapped back to clarity and reprimanded herself. Falling asleep in the middle of town was absolutely unacceptable!  
  
“Ah, yes, could you repeat that for me?”  
  
Elderbug studied Hornet before he shook his head.  
  
“No...no, I don’t think I will. You’re in no condition to be working anymore. Stay there. I will go get some food from the public kitchen.”  
  
Hornet considered protesting, but she saw the wisdom in Elderbug’s words. She wouldn’t be good to anyone if she collapsed in the town square. She had to trust in those she’d appointed to run things in her stead.  
  
With nothing else to do, Hornet sat on the iron bench and basked in the light of the burning orb. It was oddly soothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn. I was really hoping for some BOTW2 or Silksong news from that Nintendo Direct, but it looks like I'm just gonna have to continue to suffer in silence. Ah well.
> 
> This is very much another interim chapter. This fic has been a little bit Hollow Knight centric thus far, and I wanted to reassure people that that isn't gonna continue to be the case. Hyrule is soon gonna be mixing things up with Hallownest, but travel takes time, and it's literally been 3-4 days since Ganon's defeat (depending on how you count it).
> 
> Other than that, not much to say. Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment if ya want. If the chapters come out slower from now on, blame Hades, it's a very addictive game.


	15. Charms and Constructs

Sly watched from behind the counter as a group of beings walked in. They were taller than most hy’leens he’d seen, and differently proportioned. Their heads had some sort of flowing crest coming off of the back, much unlike the fluff that hy’leens or reeto had, and he could smell the river water from where he was sitting. An aquatic species, clearly; one that hadn’t been seen in Dirtmouth before. Aquatic bugs were virtually unheard of in Hallownest, and these river-dwellers were even stranger.  
  
But, still, they were in his shop, so Sly decided to treat them like customers.  
  
“Looking for anything in particular?” Sly asked. The not-bugs looked at him, muttered amongst themselves, then back at the shop. One picked up a curved shortnail he had lying around and looked it over.  
  
Sly kept a close on the aquatic interloper until it was clear that they weren’t going to steal the shortnail. He didn’t care if it’d cause a diplomatic incident, Geo was Geo...or weird crystals, but the point remained. He would not tolerate thieves in his shop.  
  
Another not-bug came over to the display of charms and peered at them. Sly was near enough to see their strange yellow eyes up close as they poked at the five charms Sly currently had on sale. They looked very wet, which he supposed made sense for an aquatic species, but how did they see anything with such small eyes? Perhaps, as they lived in the water, they didn’t rely on their eyes as much, instead using other senses; smell, maybe, though he couldn’t spot their olfactory organs.  
  
The not-bug looking at the charms picked up the Sprintmaster charm and turned to Sly, holding it out. He ignored the words, he couldn’t understand them anyways, but the intent was clear.  
  
Sly brought out his abacus and gave a demonstration of values quickly. Thankfully, the not-bug cottoned on quickly, and Sly slid 5 large beads to the right and tapped the charm. The not-bug made a loud, outraged sounding noise, and Sly buzzed.  
  
“500 Geo...ru’pees, 500 ru’pees, no discounts.”  
  
The not-bug reached out and slid one large bead to the left. Sly gave them a long look and slid 8 medium beads to the right. The not-bug responded by sliding 5 medium beads to the left. Sly slid 2 medium beads back to the right and said “That’s it. No lower. 450 is more than fair.”  
  
Sly conveniently left out that he normally sold this charm for 400 Geo. It wasn’t like they could understand him anymore than he could them.  
  
The aquatic customer looked dissatisfied with the final price, but they still reached into their money pouch and drew out four silver ru’pees and one purple and placed them on the table. Sly stuck out his claw, and the not-bug shook it. Such a strange custom, this grasping of claws, but he’d heard about it from Cornifer, and this was apparently how deals were made with the beings of this land.  
  
The not-bug took their charm, and the next of their group stepped up to his counter, a finely made lumafly lantern in their claws...or whatever they were called. He didn’t care; all he cared about was the money in their pouch.  
  
Sly chittered, and quickly shuffled around his abacus.  
  
“2500 ru’pees. No discounts.”  


. . .

  
Torfeau held the little pin in her hands and tried to see what made it so special. In front of her, Tottika was expressing incredulity and studying his own pin that he had bought.  
  
“I can’t believe that a lantern costs 2500 Rupees here! I only managed to haggle him down to 2200 as well! Admittedly, it was a really nice lantern, and gathering artifacts to present to King Dorephan as physical proof is a good idea, but 2200 Rupees!? No way I’m buying that! And _then_...400 for this little pin?!”  
  
Behind both of them, Gruve said “Maybe they’re special in some way? They look well made...could be magical. Kinda looks like a buncha those weird swords they use.”  
  
Tottika nearly dropped his pin.  
  
“Wait, you think it could be harmful? What if it turns me into a bug! Oh, I should’ve gone with Lee and Lon to Tarrey Town!”  
  
“It’s not going to turn you into a bug.” responded Gruve, deadpan.  
  
“Hey, you don’t know Gruve! There’s stories about masks that can turn humans into Zora, who says this pin can’t do the same!? It’s weirdo bug magic!”  
  
“I say it isn’t going to happen because you’re being a dumbass.”  
  
Torfeau scoffed, and pinned the little thing she was holding onto the woven strap of her cuirass. She rather doubted that the shopkeeper would sell something so dangerous to outsiders as what Tottika was suggesting. And if she did turn into a bug...well, she hoped she’d become a crab. She’d always liked crabs.  
  
Nothing happened. Torfeau rolled her eyes and said “I put it on, I’m not a bug. You can stop worrying, Tottika.”  
  
Her fellow Zora warrior looked at her worriedly to assess her continued existence as a Zora before giving a considering look to his own pin.  
  
“...fine, but if I wake up as a cockroach tomorrow, I’m blaming you.”  
  
Torfeau watched as Tottika gingerly attached his own pin to his cuirass, and again, nothing noticeable happened.  
  
Gruve scoffed, and he smacked Tottika on the back of the head.  
  
“You kept on going on and on, and it was totally normal after all! I swear, you’ve got brainrot today, Tots.”  
  
Tottika growled and swung a hand at Gruve.  
  
The resulting blow blew Gruve back ten paces and swept Tottika off of his feet. Torfeau, startled by the sudden movement, reeled backwards far faster than she should’ve been capable of and tripped over herself, landing on the ground as well.  
  
Looking up at the sky as she heard the mutterings of bugs around her, Torfeau had just one thought.  
  
“What in Nayru’s name just happened?!”  


. . .

  
Cornifer hummed happily to himself as he walked along a visible path. He had a broad hat woven out of native hy’rool plantlife on his head, which helped deflect the rays of the burning orb, and his supplies were stocked up (both mapping supplies and food supplies). Iselda was a short ways away, examining some kind of dark mushroom she’d found, while three other members of the exploration team followed.  
  
Today would be a good day. They’d finished mapping out all the details of the low, wet area where Dirtmouth was located, and thus, the exploration team was moving out to further areas. Cornifer had decided to explore the mountain, the ruins, and the tall tower next to Crystal Peak, and they had set out once the orb crossed the tops of the mountains nearby to leave Dirtmouth.  
  
The path, which was free of green shoots, abruptly stopped and became a cobbled road. Cornifer also faintly heard a loud but distant noise, like some great bug’s snoring.  
  
“Izzy, Obo, Hem, and...sorry, what was your name again?”  
  
“Chai, sir.”  
  
“Yes, Chai, come, let’s go find out what that snoring is coming from!” said Cornifer enthusiastically. Iselda drew her nail and took the front, protective of him as always, while his mapping minions...er, loyal team members followed after the two of them.  
  
It didn’t take them long to find the source of the sound. In an open area of a large cobbled square, there was a massive...thing. It reminded Cornifer of the one go’ron that he had seen, though this being was black, and far larger. In fact, it might even be taller than the Hollow Knight, who was the tallest bug Cornifer personally knew. It also stank profusely, far worse than any of the beings that Cornifer had met in hy’rool thus far. It reminded him of Ogrim’s admittedly foul odor.  
  
Iselda pushed her husband and their three underlings behind a nearby ruined statue (identical to many that dotted the area around Dirtmouth. Cornifer wondered what their purpose was) and said “Ok, I’m going to be the voice of reason here and say that we don’t disturb whatever that is.”  
  
Cornifer gave a longing glance at the massive being and responded “But Izzy, what if it’s a friend? Look, it’s wearing clothing! It might know more about the area.”  
  
Iselda looked at her husband with mixed fondness and exasperation and said “First off, even if it is intelligent and friendly, it’s also sleeping. It’d be rude to wake it up. Second off, it stinks, and if you end up getting any of that smell on you, you _will_ be sleeping somewhere other than our bed tonight. Third off–why is the statue glowing?!”  
  
The statue was indeed glowing, and a deep warbling noise emitted from within it. Cornifer saw the top section of the statue, what he now realized was a head of some kind, spin around, and a single eye looked down at them.  
  
“Oh! I apologize, I didn’t realize that you were sleeping!” Cornifer said. The being didn’t respond, and a thin red beam emerged from their eye. Cornifer stumbled back, then stopped as it became clear that he wasn’t harmed. Iselda had her nail ready to attack, but waited. A clicking sound came from the being.  
  
“Cornifer, I don’t think it’s friendly.”  
  
“We don’t know that! Don’t attack, it hasn’t done anything yet!” said Cornifer as the clicking sound began to speed up.  
  
“I think it’s a construct of some kind, Cornifer. Like the mining drones in Crystal Peak.” interjected Chai. “Actually...I think...that uh...that kind of sounds like the beams the drones use…”  
  
Iselda looked at the construct, then back at her husband, and she made a decision as the clicking reached a crescendo and the single eye began to glow ominously.  
  
“Get behind cover!”  
  
The group of five bugs scattered. Cornifer dove behind a ruined wall, and he felt a discharge of some kind pass over him, barely missing his shell. There was an explosion in the distance.  
  
Iselda looked at her husband, who looked back at her sheepishly.  
  
“...ok, you were right.”  
  
“ **Oh really?** ”  
  
The clicking sound started up again, and Cornifer peeked over the wall to see the construct targeting Obo this time, who was cowering behind a piece of masonry too small to cover him entirely.  
  
“Obo! Come over here with us, it’s pointed at you!”  
  
The pillbug scrambled over the cobblestones as he tried to get to Cornifer and Iselda before the construct fired. Cornifer also became aware of a loud thumping, and he peeked further over the wall to see the large black being wake up, a single massive yellow eye opening up on its face.  
  
“Oh good, maybe this one will help us!”  
  
But it was not to be so. As soon as the black giant saw the bugs, they grunted and headed towards them, not the construct, which barely missed killing Obo as he dove behind the same wall as Cornifer and Iselda. Another explosion sounded out, and the clicking started up again, once again centered on Cornifer as his head was visible over the wall.  
  
The black being raised their forelegs up in the air, moments away from smashing all of them, and Cornifer yelled “Scatter!”  
  
Isela, Obo, and Cornifer ran, narrowly avoiding the same fate as their protective wall, which was reduced to rubble and dust.  
  
“Corny, get to cover! Hem, you can fly, distract the construct from the air! I’ll deal with the black one!” Iselda ordered.  
  
Cornifer found a tall brown stalk to hide behind and he frantically observed the ensuing battle. Hem, flying beetle that she was, lacked the agility of many other fliers, but she had been able to avoid the explosive beams from the construct so far. Iselda, on the other claw, was having a tough time fighting the black giant. His wife was skilled with the nail compared to many, but the giant’s shell was tough, Iselda’s nail not being able to penetrate no matter what she did. And more concerning, if his wife got hit even once, she would almost certainly die.  
  
Cornifer thought furiously as his wife dodged another massive blow, then he took in a sharp breath through his spiracles.  
  
“The construct...that’s it!” Cornifer pushed himself up and yelled “Izzy, lead it on a straight path towards the construct! Hem, dodge at the last moment, make the beam hit the giant!”  
  
Hem dodged out of the way of another blast and buzzed angrily.  
  
“You want me to what?!”  
  
“Izzy’s not having any luck hurting it and you’ve managed to avoid the blasts so far! It’s our only shot at taking down the big one!”  
  
Hem buzzed even louder, but she flew between the construct and the giant and held in place. Iselda ran in a line back towards the construct, the giant following closely behind. The clicking reached a crescendo and Cornifer yelled “ **Now!** ”  
  
Hem dropped to the ground, and the beam fired. The giant took the blast straight to its face, and it slowly toppled to the ground, its face a ruined, smoking mess. Iselda, seeing that it was dead (or at least disabled), sprang forwards towards the construct and drove her nail straight into its eye, the blade spearing deep into its head and sticking inside.  
  
The construct began to twitch, and it gave off a loud keening sound as its head began to move erratically. Iselda wrenched her nail out as the glowing marks began to pulse.  
  
“It’s gonna blow!” yelled Chai. Iselda and Hem beat a hasty retreat, and the construct exploded behind them, raining down bits of metal down on them.  
  
Cornifer took in deep gulping breaths as the cobblestone square settled into silence. Nearby, Iselda and Hem also caught their breath. Cornifer became aware of an even worse stench than before, likely emenanting from the smoldering corpse of the giant.  
  
“...well...at least now we know what all the statues are.”  
  
The glare that Iselda sent towards Cornifer made him physically flinch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for tuning in to the chapter. Couple things.
> 
> First, as anyone who's played BotW and been to the Torin Wetlands can attest, there are multiple active Guardians in the area. I decided to just ignore that, because I really didn't want Dirtmouth to instantly be ganked by lasers as soon as they landed. Link killed them the last time he was in Tarrey Town for that rich guy and the blood moon hadn't happened, fair enough? Thus, this is the first time a Hallownest citizen has encountered a Guardian (or a Hinox).
> 
> Second, yes, charms do work for all Hyruleans, though the effects can be stronger or weaker depending on who wears them. A Goron, for example, would be able to use Baldur Shell to great extent, but would find Thorns of Agony to be basically useless. Additionally, allies spawned from charms are somewhat like hard light constructs; Weaversong and Glowing Womb don't literally created life. The sole exception to this is Grimmchild, which is a summoning charm. Unlike in the game, when the Charm isn't equipped Grimmchild just kind of wanders around and sets stuff on fire instead of de-spawning. Wearing the charm just means he'll be summoned, stay near you, and set your enemies on fire.


	16. Dreams and Plans

  
_ She was trapped. She had been trapped for so long she’d nearly forgotten what the outside world was like. _  
  
_The walls shuddered in constant, sickening motion, pumping in a perverse parody of her own Hylian heart. She’d long grown used to the sight. It meant nothing to her now.  
  
She’d grown used to the voices as well.  
  
“ **He’s never coming back, Princess.** ”  
  
“ **He’s moved on, found a family, raised some children. I can show you their faces if you’d like.** ”  
  
“ **He’s already dead Princess. No one is coming to save you. Poor little Zelda, sacrificing herself for those who’ve forgotten her.** ”  
  
As she’d done for the past...however long she’d been this wretched prison, Zelda tuned the words out. It wasn’t that hard; the magic of the goddess was a comforting presence, one that sang in her ear while Ganon whispered poison in her other. If not for that melodic voice that told her to keep the faith, the voice that propped her up and kept her company, Zelda would have gone mad a long time ago.  
  
Time passed. She had no way of knowing how much. The voice of the goddess in her ear grew weaker, while Ganon’s grew stronger. The walls closed in. The light was dying.  
  
“ **You’ve struggled for so long, Princess, and for what? Your kingdom has already fallen. There is nothing left of the outside world. Hyrule was razed to the ground, not a single stone left on top of another. Give in. I will make your end quick and painless.** ”  
  
She held onto the quiet melody as long as she could, but it wasn’t enough. The goddess’ power abandoned her, and the Malice of Ganon rushed forwards to consume her…a part of her welcomed it. Zelda closed her eyes in acceptance of her fate...  
  
Zelda opened her eyes.  
  
She was in a cave...a cave that was familiar to her. She lay beside a black sea, the surface smooth as glass, and the walls of the cavern were made of fossilized shells.  
  
“Here again?”  
  
Zelda sat up and looked around. As strange and unsettling as this place was, she’d gladly take it over more nightmares of her time with Ganon. She’d already discerned that this wasn’t a normal dream. Perhaps this was a sign of some kind from Hylia? A vision from the Goddess, to help her on her way?  
  
It was relieving to know that the Goddess was still with her, even with her powers diminished.  
  
“Though...what are you trying to tell me, Hylia...and where are those Siblings?”  
  
The cavern was utterly silent. No Siblings were in sight. Pity, she’d enjoyed playing with them the first time around, they had been ever so adorable.  
  
Zelda turned, looking around her. There was a lighthouse in the distance, a lighthouse that reached up and up until the top of it was lost in darkness. She hadn’t seen that the first time, occupied as she was by the Siblings. Well...if this was a message from Hylia, perhaps the meaning would be found in there.  
  
Eight white eyes in endless black watched as Zelda left the ocean shore to explore the Lighthouse._  


. . .

  
Link stirred a handful of crushed hylian herb into the mushroom risotto he was making over the campfire. The sun had yet to fully rise over the mountains, and Zelda was still asleep, though Fyson and their three Sheikah escorts were up and about (and he’d caught all four of them staring longingly at his wok as he cooked).  
  
He liked cooking in the mornings. Well, he liked cooking in general, it was one of his favorite activities (right after eating, fighting, and exploring) but mornings were special. The world was quiet at first, cold and usually wet, but then everything came to life. With the arrival of the sun, suddenly, birds started singing, flowers opened, and warmth returned.  
  
After a miserable day of riding through the Lanayru Wetlands, they’d stopped at Mercay Island to set up camp, while Link had gone ahead to clear out the Lizalfos encampments by himself. Some had run away once it became clear just who was attacking them (or maybe they remembered the last time he’d killed them, back before the last blood moon). Either way, the Lizalfos encampments were shortly cleared out, and Link had cooked dinner for everyone while the sun set.  
  
It was an unusual feeling, travelling with other people after months of being alone. Sure, he’d seen plenty of people whenever he rolled into the next town or village, and he did meet travellers on the road...granted, half of those travellers were Yiga assassins, but that was semantics. The point was, Link had become accustomed to being by himself while on the road, and now he had not only his Princess, but also three Sheikah and a Rito, all making noise, talking, eating, and doing all the things that people did.  
  
Link thought he liked it, even if it was different from what he was used to.  
  
“Risotto?” asked Zelda from behind him. Ah, good, the smell must have woken her up. Link nodded, and carefully spooned the first serving of the day onto a plate and handed it to her. The Sheikah Slate was a wonderful thing; not only did it keep ingredients as fresh as the day they were stored, but it also let him transport a cabinet’s worth of dishes and silverware with him.  
  
As Zelda began to dig into the mushroom risotto with a muffled moan, Link plated up four more servings and handed them out to the remaining travel companions, who each thanked him in turn. Then, finally, Link looked down at the remaining mass of risotto (equal to all of the servings he had just given out), grabbed a fork, and began eating it straight from the wok.  
  
An hour later, breakfast was over, the dishes were washed, the campsite was packed up, and everyone was ready to go. Link spurred his horse forwards with a light tap of his heels.  
  
They still had quite a ways to travel.  


. . .

  
The burning orb was halfway through the sky as Hornet leaned back in her chair, listening to the status reports from her team leaders continue.  
  
“Exploration has continued apace, your Highness. We’ve made some fascinating discoveries as well. All of those statues around Dirtmouth? They are some kind of autonomous construct, not unlike the mining drones used in Crystal Peak!” said Cornifer happily, “Thankfully none of the hy’leen constructs around us appear to be active, but we should probably dismantle them to be sure. Wouldn’t want some unassuming bug to get blown up by a stray blast.”  
  
Hornet nodded, turning her attention from Cornifer and Iselda to Elderbug.  
  
“Elderbug, spread the word to those who live in Dirtmouth about the potential danger of the hy’leen constructs, and ask around to find anyone interested in working on dismantling them. We can send messengers to the Crossroads and the City of Tears as well. Former miners who worked on our own drones would be best, they should have a better understanding of the machinery.”  
  
“Ah...yes, your highness.”  
  
Hornet turned her head back to Cornifer and gestured for him to continue, saying, “Anything else to add, Cornifer?”  
  
The squat bug perked up and responded, “Well, we dragged the body of one of the native monsters that we killed back to Dirtmouth, a black giant of some kind. The flesh has apparently become something of a delicacy, despite it’s unpleasant scent. We already have bugs clamoring for more.”  
  
Hornet clicked her pedipalps and said, “We’re not going to waste time to find luxury foods, but if we do come across another one of those giants, then by all means, have the exploration team bring it back. Speaking of, Quirrel. We started gathering surface vegetation today, did we not?”  
  
Quirrel, arms full of a sleeping Grimmchild, nodded.  
  
“The brown stalks are too tough and bland for most bugs to eat, but the red, green, orange, and yellow shoots that grow out of the stalks are quite good. Similar to some of the moss in Greenpath in taste, actually. We’ve been careful to only take some of the shoots, so as to not kill the stalks, and were able to gather another twenty barrels of foodstuffs from them alone. The green shoots that grow out of the ground are more bitter, but still edible; personally, I would use them to feed livestock like Gruzzers or Aphids, but we can survive off of it.”  
  
Hornet tapped a claw to her mask and said, “We should round up all of the surviving livestock in Hallownest that we can find. Bodies are only going to last us so long, and I doubt the hy’leens would take kindly to us eating every beast we find on their land. Assign some members of your team to that, Quirrel.”  
  
At the pillbug’s nod, Hornet turned her attention to Ogrim, who immediately noticed her glance and began without being prompted.  
  
“Ah, indeed! My team has finished scouring the City of Tears and most of the surrounding areas for survivors. Of course, we did not venture where we were not welcome, so the mantis, spiders, bees, and Fools will have to look after themselves, but I trust in their ability, given that you saw with your own eyes that they still stand tall, hoho!”  
  
“What’s the current tally of survivors?” asked Hornet.  
  
“Ah, well we have 612 here in Dirtmouth, 835 in the Crossroads, and 4,505 in the City of Tears. I also met with the Mosskin, who say they have 706 remaining members of their own tribe, and I found a pleasant mushroom fellow that spoke Hallowtongue who told me that there are 593 of their clan still alive. All told, the sentient, living citizens of Hallownest that we’ve counted number 7,251. It is entirely possible that there remain stragglers or hermits that we did not reach, but I doubt that we will surpass 8,000 found survivors, your highness.”  
  
Hornet drummed her claws on the table in front of her. Seven to eight thousand was a greater number than she had hoped for, but at its height, Hallownest had hosted over a million and a half sapient souls within its cavern walls. Even with the addition of the spiders, bees, mantises, and Fools (who could still back out of the alliance), she doubted that the number of survivors would break fifteen thousand.  
  
At least they’d be able to feed that number of bugs fairly easily once they got the farms up and running. Foraging was all well and good, but it wasn’t dependable.  
  
“Mmm. Alright. Ogrim, can you work on setting up a new force of Guards for Hallownest? I know there were some survivors from the City Guard, see if they’re willing to take up their old positions, and put the word out that we’re looking for recruits.”  
  
“Aha, yes your highness!”  
  
Hornet, seeing that the venerable dung beetle had nothing else to add, paused, then stood up.  
  
“Good work, Ogrim. Good work everyone, in fact. Thanks to your work, the future of Hallownest is assured. This Kingdom will survive, we will prosper, and we will explore this new land that we find ourselves in. You should be proud of yourselves.”  
  
The hopeful words in her mouth sounded foreign, but they seemed to go over well with the team leaders. Ogrim even looked like he might start bawling.  
  
Hornet picked up her needle and said, “Meeting adjourned. See to the tasks that you’ve been given, please. As for myself, I will be travelling with Hollow to the Queen’s Gardens to talk with the White Lady, then we’ll stop by the City of Tears to see how things are progressing there, and finally we will descend into the Abyss.”  
  
The assembled bugs looked taken aback.  
  
Quirrel was the one to speak first, saying, “But, your highness, what is it that is so important in the Abyss?”  
  
“...According to the spirit of Hive Queen Vespa, the little Knight did not, in fact, die in the Temple of the Black Egg. They ascended, discarding their mortal shell to become the Void given Focus, and it is highly likely that they now dwell at the bottom of the Abyss.” Hornet said.  
  
The silence that greeted Hornet’s words was deafening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for reading, let's talk comparative travel times.
> 
> Y'all may have noticed that the bugs seem to be getting their shit together pretty quickly, while Zelda and Link have done almost nothing but be on the road travelling. There's a reason for that. Remember, Hallownest is a vast network of caves that's 11 miles x 11 miles x 7 miles, while Hyrule is a country the size of Romania, Utah, or New Zealand. Let us posit that Hornet starts at the the point in Hallownest that is farthest away from any other point in Hallownest, and then walks to the opposite point. EVEN IF the two points are in completely opposite corners of the 11x11x7 cube, that's still only 17 miles. We'll even be extra generous and double that to account for zig-zags and switchbacks in the path. That's only 34 miles. Do you know how far 34 miles will get you in Hyrule?
> 
> It'll get you from one side of the Great Plateau to the other. The bugs are reorganizing so much faster because it only takes a few hours to reach any place in the kingdom. Hornet can tour the entire kingdom in two days while it takes 4 days just to reach Zora's Domain from Kakariko village.
> 
> Thankfully, as soon as Zelda and Link finish their Hallownest tour, the pace of this fic is gonna pick up, and we won't be stuck waiting on such long travel times.


	17. The White Lady

The Queen’s Gardens. Hornet had visited the White Lady’s demesne quite often during her youth, but seldom since the fall of the kingdom. Speaking to the White Lady had never served much purpose, beyond making her angry; their meetings always seemed to end with Hornet shouting at the Queen and leaving in a huff.  
  
But, with everything that had happened...she owed it to Hollow to take them to meet with the White Lady, and she wanted to know if the Queen had any insight into the event that transported them. As a Higher Being, one who was tied directly to Hallownest’s citizens and Hallownest itself, the White Lady would know much more about the event than anyone else, aside from perhaps her Sibling in the Abyss.  
  
Also, a vindictive part of Hornet wanted to hear the White Lady acknowledge her as the new Queen, and to acknowledge her fault to Hollow themself.  
  
With that thought, Hornet looked at her elder sibling as the two of them passed through the Queen’s Gardens. They ducked underneath a low overhang, their horns almost scraping the ceiling.  
  
“Hollow...do you…” Hornet paused, then said, “Are you nervous? Do you want to...not meet with her?”  
  
Hollow looked at her, but she felt no Voidspeech in the back of her mind. Instead, Hollow turned away and continued walking, and Hornet left them to their thoughts. She wouldn’t force the issue. When Hollow had agreed to come along, perhaps she should have anticipated that they would have mixed feelings about the White Lady, now that they allowed themself to have feelings at all.  
  
She had so many things on her mind lately, it was hard to keep track of them all. Perhaps she should request a bug to help keep her schedule and tasks organized.  
  
In silence, the pair passed through the Queen’s Gardens until they reached the White Lady’s personal conservatory, where they stopped. Evidence of a great battle was strewn throughout the old greenhouse; deep slashes on the walls, cracked floor tiles, and two corpses. One of a large mantis, and one of a curious and foreign looking bug that looked vaguely familiar. Wracking her brain, Hornet remembered her; a traveler that had slipped past her guard somehow, one she’d seen with the little Knight on occasion. Hornet picked up a carven sigil off of the thorax of the mantis.  
  
“The mantis traitors penetrated deeper than I thought they would…”  
  
Hollow said nothing, but after looking over the bodies, they began moving swiftly towards the mound where the White Lady dwelled. Hornet followed after, and she took note of the many mantis corpses, as well as the body of Dryya, who had been alive the last time she’d seen her. The branches of the White Lady that poked out of the mound still glowed with ethereal light, though, so Hornet knew that she yet lived.  
  
“This must have happened recently...Dryya hasn’t even begun to decompose.”  
  
Hollow looked down at Dryya, and they scooped the bug up in their claws.  
  
[S̵̝͝a̷̡͊d̷̮̒n̷̛͇e̷͉̍s̸̠̋s̷͠ͅ.̴̫͑ ̵̧̊A̸͔͝f̶͓̈́f̴̟i̷̩͛r̷̙m̶̢̉a̷̜̿t̴̫̚ï̶͉ö̸͉́n̸̘͐.̸̯ ̷̩͋Ć̸̤o̵̼͑n̴͙͘v̷̻̐e̴͎̎ŷ̷͕:̷͓͑ ̸̫̑M̷͈ŏ̵̥ẗ̵̹́h̵̦̄ê̵͉r̷̥͐?̵͔̍ ̷͕̿K̸̢͘ñ̵̲ỏ̶̟ẁ̷͙l̸̢̉e̴̹̒d̷̘̓g̸̰̔e̸̤̓:̴̯͠ ̸̹̆D̸̙̈́r̵̮͒y̸̙̍ÿ̸̢́a̶̜̿?̶̰̉]  
  
“...she might not know. The last time I visited, over a cycle ago, she was...distant. Slipping further and further into her memories, losing her sight. I can see no other reason why she just...left Dryya’s body out here to rot.”  
  
Hollow had nothing to say to that, and Hornet didn’t either, and so, the two of them moved to enter the last sanctuary of the White Lady.  
  
There was a problem, though; Hollow was far too large to fit inside. They tried once, but not even their head was able to squeeze into the tunnel without carving furrows into the walls, and the entrance was the widest part of the interior tunnels.  
  
“I’ll go in first...she should be able to open it up for you. Just, wait here, Hollow.”  
  
Her Sibling accepted that without any response, and so Hornet moved on, alone.  
  
It didn’t take her long to reach the heart of the cocoon-like structure. Within, the White Lady slept, looking much like Hornet had last seen her. As Hornet drew closer, the White Lady stirred, and her eyes opened, though she did not look at Hornet.  
  
“So...you’ve finally come to see me...and, is that...outside? I sense a presence…” The White Lady trailed off, and for the first time in many years, Hornet heard her composure break, her branches rustling in agitation.  
  
Hornet nodded, and then realizing that the White Lady couldn’t see that action, said “Yes. The Hollow Knight is outside. They wish to speak with you.”  
  
The White Lady froze, completely unmoving, before her roots exploded into motion. The walls of the cocoon shifted, creaking open further as the White Lady made a path large enough for Hollow to enter. They arrived shortly after, walking into the inner sanctum, Dryya’s body held close to them.  
  
No one spoke for a long time. The White Lady tried, but every time she did, her words trailed off before she made more than a sound. Hollow simply stood like a statue, looking at the ground, while Hornet glanced between them both. Finally, Hollow took the initiative and stepped forwards, laying Dryya upon the lap of the White Lady.  
  
The action startled the White Lady, who reached out with her branches to feel the form upon her lap.  
  
“Oh...Dryya. I am so sorry...you were loyal to the end. How long...has it been?” asked the White Lady quietly. She then looked at Hollow, and a branch reached out to them, though it stopped short of touching their mask.  
  
“Hollow, I...I am also so sorry for my part in what happened. I...we...if we’d known that you weren’t truly Hollow…” the White Lady paused as Hollow finally looked at them. Whatever words Hollow exchanged with their mother, Hornet wasn’t privy to. She could only see the White Lady withdraw into herself, distressed, before relaxing. She saw the branch that had reached out make contact with Hollow’s mask, and she saw Hollow lean into the touch.  
  
Hornet let them have their moment in peace without interfering. Hollow deserved that much and more from her.  
  
It was some time later that the White Lady finally turned her attention back on Hornet, though she still devoted some of her attention to Hollow, the Vessel being cradled on her lap. It seemed that Hollow had made their peace with the White Lady, if they were willing to be held by her. It was none of Hornet’s business, in any case; she had other things to worry about.  
  
“You wished to speak with me about the strange occurrence that drew Hallownest to this new world, then, Hornet?”  
  
“Yes, I did. What do you know?” responded Hornet evenly.  
  
“Less than you wish to know, but more than you currently do,” the White Lady said, “The firmament has changed. Higher beings, by their nature, shift the world around them. To destroy that, to crush it utterly...the death of a god is no small thing. The death of two, with such oppositional natures…”  
  
“Wait, two?” asked Hornet, confused.  
  
“Yes...in this new land, there was another. A force of vile malice, one that I felt on our arrival. The moment, the two deaths, they were the same, and they were different. A connection was made. Hallownest’s fate became intertwined with that of this land, reforging the curse that it labored under. It has become...altered.”  
  
“The curse? What’s the curse?”  
  
The White Lady shuddered.  
  
“I do not know. I only know that there is a chain of destiny, a cycle that has repeated time and time again. We became entangled in that cycle when the Old Light died. If my Wyrm was still here, he could tell you more of the future, but…” the White Lady trailed off again, then said “I am diminished. My senses grow dimmer, and the desire to sleep takes over me. I am not the goddess I once was. Perhaps that is for the best.”  
  
Hornet hissed.  
  
“Ah, that defeatist attitude of yours again. And here I’d thought with the end of the Infection you’d actually be willing to finally **do** something.”  
  
The White Lady’s branches shook, and Hornet saw the Hollow Knight tilt their head at her.  
  
“...I know you are angry with me,” began the White Lady, “And I do not blame you for that. Would you truly want me to help, to have your own citizens doubt your rule for every time when I am around? No...I have accepted my mistakes, and I know I can never atone for what I did. The actions that my Wyrm and I took to save the kingdom rest with us...and that fault will die with me. I am Queen no longer.”  
  
Hornet glared up at the White Lady for a long, unbroken moment before she said “Fine. I’ll fix Hallownest on my own then. I don’t need your help.”  
  
The White Lady laughed gently at that, and Hornet felt boiling anger rise in her thorax.  
  
“No...I don’t suppose you do. You’ll make a fine Queen, I think...she’d be proud of you, you know.”  
  
Hornet rustled her pedipalps in agitation and turned to leave.  
  
“I’ll be on my way to the Mantis Village, Hollow. Catch up with me when you’re done with her...I need to go hit something that hits back.”  


. . .

  
The traveling group of Hylians had nearly reached the Inogo Bridge when they were greeted from the water by a Zora. A very familiar Zora, if Zelda wasn’t mistaken.  
  
“Prince...Sidon?” she asked, disbelieving. She’d known intellectually that Zora lived far longer than humans, and that Sidon would be all grown up, but it was one thing to know it in her mind, and quite another to see the baby brother of Mipha now grown into a statuesque Prince.  
  
Ignorant of her inner thoughts, Sidon beamed at Zelda as he strode out of the water, watching the group as they dismounted their horses.  
  
“Princess Zelda! Oh, joyous day! When we received your letter at the Domain, I departed immediately so that I could meet you as soon as possible. Truly, you look exactly the same as you did, 100 years ago, and it does my heart good to know that you remember me in turn.”  
  
Zelda laughed into her hand, then bowed slightly to Sidon, who returned the motion with a deeper bow, enough to show respect and deference without appearing weak. With that out of the way, Zelda held out her arms and said “Could I trouble the Prince for a hug, or is he too grown up for them now?”  
  
Sidon looked down at her, eyes sparkling, before he swept Zelda up in an instant. She yelped, then laughed as he spun her around. Perhaps it was improper, but Zelda couldn’t bring herself to care. She’d adored Sidon as a child, the few times she’d met him, and had wondered what it would be like to have siblings of her own.  
  
After the hug was concluded, Sidon placed Zelda down gently, then he turned the full force of his attention onto Link.  
  
“Ah, and don’t think I’ve forgotten you my friend! It has been too long since you last visited, come, let me take a look at you. Hmm, yes, I daresay you’ve gotten taller, Link...or is that just the boots you’re wearing. Do you want a hug as well?”  
  
Link rolled his eyes expressively, but he held up his arms all the same. Sidon took the opportunity to grab the much smaller Hylian into a crushing hug, one with much more force than the one he’d given Zelda. Link didn’t seem to mind, though, and was soon placed on the ground as well.  
  
The Sheikah warriors introduced themselves as well (though all three declined hugs) and Zelda soon found herself speaking with Sidon as they rested on the benches of Inogo Bridge. Zora from the village of Inogo that dwelled under the bridge surfaced as well, though they kept their distance upon seeing Sidon deep in conversation.  
  
“...and that is how Ganon was defeated. I didn’t want to burden the outgoing letters with excessive details,” finished Zelda.  
  
Sidon nodded and said “So, now you travel to Zora’s Domain, and you wish to arrange to have some of my people ferry you upstream? I would be honored to carry you, you highness.”  
  
Zelda coughed and waved her hands in the air.  
  
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I’m perfectly fine being carried by another Zora, Prince Sidon!”  
  
Sidon hummed, then shrugged.  
  
“Well, I won’t force you, but I have to head back anyways. You’re not any larger than Link, and I carried Link with little effort for nearly an hour.”  
  
Zelda raised a finger, paused, and turned to her bodyguard, who nodded and shrugged.  
  
“Well...if you see no harm in it. How soon do you want to depart?”  


. . .

  
“SHAW!”  
  
Hornet threw her needle forwards, the tip sailing past Quan. The youngest of the Mantis Lords grabbed the attached thread, and pulled on it, hard. Hornet found herself unbalanced, and she was forced to let go of her primary weapon.  
  
With her needle gone, the battle didn’t last long. Hornet was soon pinned to the ground under Quan, the mantises own needle pointing at her mask.  
  
“Yield.”  
  
Hornet hissed, but she yielded all the same. Quan looked at her for a long moment, then moved off of her.  
  
“You know, I was surprised when you came into the village and requested to duel with me. I thought...well...but you do not fight as you did last time. You were sloppy, unfocused. Consumed by anger, easily defeated.” Quan spun her needle around until the tip pointed at the ground. She stabbed her needle into the dirt, then sat down and said “Come, sit. Something has happened in the short time since you departed.”  
  
Hornet did not come and sit, instead choosing to pace while keeping a hold on her needle.  
  
“What’s it to _you_ , what do you care? It’s not like the mantis ever gave two shits about the rest of the kingdom.”  
  
The scent coming from Quan indicated anger, but only for a moment. The scent that followed was...curiosity? Hornet hadn’t spent enough time around mantis to recognize their more subtle pheromones.  
  
“I didn’t ask about the kingdom, I asked about _you_. Is this why you’re upset? Did something already go wrong with the rebuilding efforts?”  
  
Hornet hissed again, and she pointed her needle at Quan.  
  
“And what if something did, huh, are you gonna abandon your promise? Are you going to back out of our agreement at the first sign of trouble, folding like wet silkpaper?”  
  
The scent of anger returned, and this time it did not go away. Hornet found her mask tilted up by Quan’s needle, the tip still coated in dirt from where it had been stabbed just moments before.  
  
“ _Never_ question my honor or the honor of the mantis if you wish to continue living, _Princess_.”  
  
“...Queen.”  
  
“...what?”  
  
“I’m the Queen. I...went to go see the White Lady. She officially renounced any claim she may have had to the throne.” Hornet said, letting out a gusty breath through her spiracles.  
  
The tip of Quan’s needle moved away from her, and Hornet saw the mantis tilt her head.  
  
“And this...angers you?”  
  
“Yes!” shouted Hornet, “No!...I don’t know. I think...I...it’s complicated.”  
  
Quan chittered, her previous anger seemingly forgotten.  
  
“Indeed it must be, if it has you all twisted up in knots like a drunken Garpede. So, like I said before. Come, sit. Perhaps I can offer counsel.”  
  
Hornet looked at the much taller mantis, and after a moment of consideration, sat down beside her. Quan looked at her, patiently waiting for Hornet to start.  
  
“When the Kingdom fell, and the Infection escaped for a second time...I wasn’t scared. I knew that the Infection was bad, but it had been contained the first time. Surely my father would work just as hard to contain it again? Surely there was something that he could do, something the White Lady could do, something…” Hornet shook her head and said “But they did nothing. My Father fled, locking himself in the White Palace, even going so far as to seal it within a dream. The White Lady fled as well, shutting herself within the Queen’s Gardens, binding herself to ‘prevent from spreading her seed’. They abandoned the kingdom to die.”  
  
“And you stayed behind.” Quan asked, voice level.  
  
“Yes. I was scared when I realized that they would do nothing...but I was also angry. When the Pale King asked me to come with him, I yelled and screamed and ran away from the White Palace. When the White Lady spoke to me of her decision, it filled me with such rage. How...how _dare_ they. They stood on the empty shells of untold numbers of my siblings, and when their plan failed, they gave up. And I was the only one left who seemed to care.”  
  
Hornet looked down at her claws and continued, “I thought...maybe now that the little Knight had done the impossible and defeated the Old Light, maybe the White Lady would finally do _something_. Anything at all to aid the bugs of Hallownest. Anything to atone for the atrocity that she allowed, that she partook in. But no. She wants to die. She welcomes it. She even seemed proud of me, that I would take up the mantle in her stead.”  
  
Quan nodded once, and said, “I can see why that would fill you with wrath. I too would be angered if one whom I shared blood with stooped to such cowardice...at least when Gou accepted the Old Light, he did it for power.”  
  
Hornet looked up at that and responded “Oh...speaking of. I found the corpses of many of the traitors near the White Lady’s self-imposed prison. One of them was wearing this.”  
  
Hornet handed Quan the sigil. The Mantis Lord looked it over, gently holding it in her claws.  
  
“Then Gou is truly dead…”  
  
“Oh...my condolences.”  
  
“No need. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to kill him myself.”  
  
Hornet chittered, then resumed speaking.  
  
“I apologize for my words and actions earlier. My visit to the White Lady...unbalanced me. It will not happen again.”  
  
Quan gave Hornet, a long look, then she shook her head.  
  
“It will. Do not hamper yourself with unrealistic expectations. You are a ruler, not a god. You will make mistakes. You will get angry. The important thing is that you don’t allow yourself to give up. That which does not bend will shatter if pushed too hard. To feel is not weakness; the truest weakness is to betray yourself.”  
  
Hornet gave Quan a long look in turn, then she nodded.  
  
“I accept your wise words, Quan. Thank you for giving me counsel in my time of need. I will not forget this.”  
  
The Mantis Lord looked away, and Hornet caught a whiff of other pheremones that she didn’t recognize.  
  
“Ah...good. That is...good, yes. Ah...so...do you intend to stay in the Village much longer?”  
  
Hornet shook her head and said “No. As soon as Hollow arrives, we will depart to the Ancient Basin, and then to the Abyss. Then–oh, that’s Hollow right there.”  
  
Hornet stood up, and gave Quan a respectful nod. She didn’t want to take up any more of the mantises time than she already had.

* * *

Omake: Two Poor Yiga

Musa and Basjoo, the Yiga clan assassins who had been sent to investigate this new bug kingdom, crept through humid groves of mushrooms. Entering the bug kingdom unnoticed had been child's play, the well entrance not even having a posted guard. Once inside, they had navigated their way through a crossroads of some kind using a stolen map, and had eventually entered this fungal area.  
  
"I still think we should have taken another route to get to the main city. They have elevators on that map, I think." said Musa.   
  
Basjoo grunted and said "Stealth is key though. We need to report back to Master Sooga with the bugs none the wiser. And if any see us while we're in here..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, slit their throats...or whatever it is that keeps them alive. Stab them until they die. Drown them. Hey, do you think poison would work?"  
  
"Shhh, we're trying to be stealthy, dumbass!"  
  
They resumed their movements in silence. After several minutes of peace and quiet, Musa signalled Basjoo to get down, and the two of them witnessed a parade of...sentient mushrooms?  
  
Yes, there was a long line of...what looked like...honest-to-Ganon _mushroom people_ walking down a path in the center of the cavern. Once they were past, Basjoo and Musa turned to each other.  
  
"...ok, so this place is extra weird."  
  
A rustling behind them cut off any further conversation, and both Yiga immediately drew their sickles.  
  
What stumbled out of the fungal overgrowth was what seemed to be a tiny mushroom child, which immeditaly froze upon seeing them. Small and defenseless, it must have strayed off the beaten path and gotten lost. Basjoo looked at Musa and gestured at it.  
  
"You want this one?"  
  
Musa shrugged and walked up to the tiny mushroom.  
  
"No hard feelings kid, but we can't leave any witnesses behind."  
  
With those words, Musa drove the point of his sickle into the mushroom's body. White fluid gushed out of the impact point. Musa sawed the sickle back and forth, trying to kill it quickly.  
  
"Damn it, stupid...why aren't you dying?"  
  
"INTRUDER."   
  
The single word echoed across the fungal jungle, and both Yiga froze.  
  
"What the hell, what was that?"  
  
"CAN YOU FEEL YOUR HEART BURNING?"   
  
The two Yiga became aware of the stamping of many stubby limbs.  
  
"CAN YOU FEEL THE STRUGGLE WITHIN?"   
  
Hundreds of eyes lit up the cavern, glowing noxious yellow, as all of the mushrooms spoke in one vast and terrible voice.  
  
"THE FEAR WITHIN US IS BEYOND ANYTHING YOUR SOULS CAN MAKE."   
  
The tiny child twisted around, seemingly uncaring of the blade stuck inside of it's body A tiny mouth opened, and Musa could see that it was full of bubbling acid. The other mushrooms around them did the same.  
  
"YOU CANNOT KILL US IN A WAY THAT MATTERS."   
  
The screams of the Yiga echoed throughout the Fungal Wastes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite portions of this chapter because I wasn't sure about them, and I'm still not sure about them, but that's the struggle of being a writer, right?
> 
> Ah well. Hope all you dudes enjoy.
> 
> I have two timelines written up for this fic, a Hallownest Timeline (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-legend-of-zelda-the-hollow-knight.908723/post-73833049), and a Zelda Timeline (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-legend-of-zelda-the-hollow-knight.908723/post-74354873). I also made a rough map in Paint to show where all of the countries surrounding Hyrule are in relation to each other (https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-legend-of-zelda-the-hollow-knight.908723/post-74541521)


End file.
